Business Desk :
SK Sur Chowdhury, Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank, has been elected chairman of Asia-Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA) for next two years in its 19th General Assembly hosted by Bangladesh Bank at a city hotel on Monday.
Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman inaugurated the assembly as chief guest, says a press release.
110 participants including 82 foreign delegates from 17 APRACA member countries and 2 observer countries attend the meeting.
Other countries attended the assembly are: Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Mozambique and Nigeria.
In conjunction with the meeting, a regional forum on “Risk Management for Smallholder Farmers and Communities” will be organized today as part of the activities of the IFAD supported FinServAccess Project. In addition, there will be a field visit to an
agrcultural finance project and a tourist resort in the suburbs of Dhaka on 21 May.
Under the auspices of FAO, APRACA promotes cooperation and facilitates mutual exchange of information and expertise in the field of rural finance among its members. 68 Rural finance and agricultural credit institutions in 21 countries of Asia-Pacific region are the members of the organization. Member organizations of Bangladesh are as follows: Bangladesh Bank, ASA, PKSF, MRA and BRAC.
In part of promoting cooperation and facilitating mutual exchange of information and expertise in the field of rural finance among member countries, the following topics are to be addressed in the forum:
A Challenges, Threats, and Policy Directions on Risk Management for Smallholder Farmers and Communities in Asia-Pacific Perspective;
A Policy Advocacy and Directions, Innovations, Strategies, Challenges and Threats on Risk Management for Smallholder Farmers and Communities: Bangladesh, Indonesian, Philippine Thailand, Nepal & Cambodia Perspective;
A Risk Management in Agricultural Value Chain Finance for Smallholder Farmers, Entrepreneurs, Traders and Other Stakeholders: Views and Perspectives of the Food and Agriculture Organization in Asia-Pacific Region.
