Passing Gifts, active in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, and Koraput districts, supports rural livelihoods through backyard poultry, goat rearing, and spice value chains.
The MoU, inked by Bangladesh’s DG Food Md Abul Hasanat Humayun Kabir and Joseph K. Sowers from US Wheat Associates, underscores a deepening partnership in food and trade.
Launched in commemoration of the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives 2025, the ‘Seeding Strength’ campaign highlights the transformative role of agricultural cooperatives in India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Nepal.
President Paudel expressed concern over Nepal’s increasing reliance on imported rice and paddy. He underscored the importance of adopting climate-smart technologies and making use of domestic human resources to foster self-reliance in agriculture.
Global temperatures are likely to reach 2°C by 2045. It is estimated that this will trigger a rise in sea levels by several meters, the melting of polar caps, and irreversible damage to critical ecosystems around the world.
For Bangladesh, the world’s second-largest producer of jackfruit, the fruit was a natural choice. Jackfruit is also the country’s national fruit and symbolizes abundance. Yet much of the potential of this fruit remained untapped.
Transitioning to sustainable systems requires substantial investment and coordinated effort across sectors. Additionally, achieving these goals hinges on overcoming resistance from vested interests, such as industrial agriculture and fossil fuel industries.
Public health experts caution that while C-sections remain a life-saving intervention when medically necessary, their overuse undermines maternal and neonatal health outcomes.
The mission emphasised that “standing with Afghan women” requires more than symbolic gestures: it requires resources, policy pressure, and the international will to ensure that women in Afghanistan can live with dignity and safety.