Six receive media fellowship for agri reporting

Online Desk:

Six journalists have been given media fellowship for their impact reporting on the prevailing crisis of food security, child health and acute malnutrition in the country, said a press release.
They covered stories on various crises in agriculture, maternal and child malnutrition and marginalised people’s food habits in poverty-stricken regions including Kurigram, Gainbandha and Jamalpur.
The fellowship titled FFB Media Fellowship 2021 was hosted by the Farming Future Bangladesh, a Bill & Melinda Gates-supported organisation,
Alliance for Science, a US-based global shaper in agricultural innovations, provided the fellowship.
Journalists Abbas Uddin of The Business Standard, ANM Mohibub Uz Zaman of the Daily Sun, Al Amin of the New Nation, Mehedi Al Amin of the Business Post and Shah Muhammad Najmus Sakib of The Financial Express are the recipients of this year’s fellowship.
Speakers at the event observed that farmers are being deprived of fair prices of their produces due to lack of coordination among the ministries while millers hike the prices of rice due to lack of government stocks and coordination among the government agencies.
They also suggested taking special programmes in the poverty-stricken areas with high malnutrition.
Anwar Faruque, former secretary of the agriculture ministry and chief guest of the event, said cost of transportation has varied, which is a double blow for the farmers.
“Prestigious media fellowships can inspire journalists across Bangladesh to report unbiased stories,” he added.
General Secretary of Bangladesh Agricultural Journalist Forum (BAJF) and Deputy City Editor of Daily Bonik Barta Shahanuare Shaid Shahin presented the keynote.
He emphasised raising food storage capacity of the government to 5 million tonnes in order to come out of the trend of importing main food items, including rice, despite sufficient production.
Special guest Dr Khalilur Rahman, director of Bangladesh National Nutrition Council, said, “Nutritious diet for all is essential to meet SDG 2, which aims to end hunger.”
Md Arif Hossain, CEO and executive director of FFB, chaired the event.