Mentioning that the climate change does harm to the agriculture sector most, Agriculture Minister Dr Md Abdur Razzaque on Thursday said Bangladesh will be at stake if the sector is affected.

‘Bangladesh will be at risk if the agriculture sector is affected due to climate change. We’re giving priority to the climate change issue,’ he said while exchanging views with the Bangladesh Climate Change Journalist Forum (BCJF), reports the UNB.

The minister said the wheat cultivation faces a great risk in Bangladesh due to climate change impacts. ‘The production of wheat has come down from 17-18 lakh tonnes to 11-12 lakh tonnes annually due to the rise in temperature whereas the demand is on the rise in the country day by day,’ he said, adding that a total of 59 lakh tonnes of wheat were imported last year.

The government is taking initiatives to produce heat-tolerant varieties of wheat to boost its production, he said.

Razzaque said although Bangladesh is not responsible for climate change, it is the most affected country. ‘The climate change is a global problem. As the affected country, we should continue discussions internationally to realise our demands,’ he said.