Switzerland keen to invest in Bangladesh's climate vulnerable areas: Envoy

Switzerland is interested to invest in the fisheries and livestock sectors of climate-vulnerable areas of Bangladesh, said Swiss Ambassador to Bangladesh Nathalie Chuard.

Nathalie Chuard expressed her interest while paying a courtesy call on Fisheries and Livestock Minister Sham Rezaul Karim at his office in the Secretariat on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Nathalie Chuard said that on the 50th anniversary of the two countries, Switzerland wants to work on a new program in cooperation with Bangladesh, including in the field of economic development from 2022 to 2025.

“Bangladesh has achieved the milestone of transitioning from a least developed country to a developing country. A number of public and private sector organizations in Switzerland are interested in working in this field, said the ambassador.

Rezaul said, although, Bangladesh is not responsible for climate change, it is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has made a specific proposal to form a fund for the countries affected by climate change at the World Climate Conference.

“The country's fisheries and livestock sectors are largely affected by floods and other natural disasters. The government provides special incentives and other assistance to those areas,” the minister added.

The minister also highlighted the fact that currently, we are self-sufficient in meat production. We have additional cattle in demand for Eid-ul-Azha. We are also working to export meat by meeting the demands of our people. As we are planning to export meat, an international standard quality control laboratory has been established in the country.

“The Swiss public and private sectors can easily invest in Bangladesh's agriculture, fisheries and livestock sectors. The government will provide all kinds of facilities,” he assured.