Dhaka: Urging the South Asian leaders to promise to ensure food and nutritional security across the region, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday underscored the need for speedy materialisation of the initiatives taken for setting up Saarc Food Bank and Saarc Seed Bank.

‘Since it’s essential for tackling any kind of disaster, I would like to urge the South Asian leaders to take necessary steps to establish the Saarc Food Bank as soon as possible. Let the Saarc Food Bank be a friend of need so that no one dies of starvation in our region,’ she said.

Sheikh Hasina was addressing the inaugural session of the 3rd meeting of Saarc Ministers of Agriculture held at a city hotel, reports UNB.

The Prime Minister also requested the policymakers for taking steps to formulate policies the Saarc Seed Bank to ensure the participation and empowerment of farmers in seed areas.

Chaired by Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, the programme was addressed, among others, by Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare of India Radha Mohan Singh and Saarc Secretary General Arjun Bahadur Thapa. Agriculture Secretary Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah delivered the address of welcome.

The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs jointly organised the meeting.