Women farmers deserve proper recognition
Speakers tell DS webinar Staff correspondent Staff correspondent
Speakers at a webinar yesterday said ownership of land is the key stumbling block for women s empowerment in agriculture. In Bangladesh, only 15.8 percent of rural land is owned by women, and only one-fourth of that land is effectively owned by them.
The webinar titled Women s contribution in agriculture and access to land: Covid-19 and beyond , was jointly organised by Association for Land Reforms and Development (ALRD) and The Daily Star.
Keynote speaker Dr Sanjida Aktar, chairperson, Gender Studies Department, University of Dhaka presented the findings of her recent research and said women farmers labelled as an assistant or day labourer , while for similar agricultural activities men are referred to as farmers .
Abdur Rahim Harmachi, Chief Economics Correspondent,
bdnews24.com
Published: 15 Dec 2020 09:50 PM BdST
Updated: 15 Dec 2020 09:50 PM BdST
Bangladesh’s foreign currency reserves have reached another milestone despite the coronavirus pandemic. );
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The forex reserves at the Bagnladesh Bank stood at $42.03 billion after the end of Tuesday’s business hours.
Kazi Saidur Rahman, a deputy governor of the central bank, said the achievement was possible mainly due to the remittances sent by Bangladeshis working abroad.
Growth in exports and foreign loans also contributed to the rise of the reserves, he added.
Zaid Bakht, a researcher at Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, said that a drop in import also helped the forex reserves to grow.
Forex reserves surge past $42b Star Business Report Star Business Report
Foreign exchange reserves yesterday hit a new record of $42.09 billion thanks to the upward trend of remittance and lower import payments, Bangladesh Bank data showed.
The reserves, one of the major macroeconomic indicators of an economy, touched the $40-billion mark on October 8 and rose to $41 billion on October 28.
The reserves stood at $32.11 billion on December 15 last year.
There is no scope to be complacent due to the ballooning of the reserve as the collapse in demand and investment have hurt imports in recent months, experts said.
Remittance has been on the rise riding on the stagnation of the global hundi cartel, an illegal cross-border financial transaction. The hundi cartel has been rendered ineffective across the globe due to the restrictions on movement imposed by countries to limit the spread of the coronavirus.