Around 30 percent of crops are wasted at different stages after harvest and reducing it would contribute to improving food security, said Agriculture Minister Md Abdus Shahid on Wednesday.
Cutting waste of crops is very important, he said at a session on "food and water storage and prevention of food waste" at the Food and Agricultural Organizations (FAO) 37th session of the Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, according to a press release.
He said Bangladeshs government was providing up to 70 percent subsidy to farmers for farm machinery.
He added that the government had taken initiatives to build multipurpose storage facilities, combined storage facilities accommodating multiple crops, and provide refrigerated vehicles for transport of fresh vegetables.
In order to prevent food wastage and damage, huge investment is needed in harvesting, threshing, transportation, and storage, he said, stressing the need for public-private partnerships. He said the FAO could help Bangladesh in this regard.
