Local livestock breeds better suited to climate change than foreign ones: adviser

Foreign livestock breeds should not be imported solely to increase production, Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter said today, stressing the need to conserve and further develop local breeds.

She said local breeds are far better suited to adapt to climate change, while foreign breeds require significantly more care, management and resources.

Farida also highlighted the importance of paying attention to issues arising from genetically modified organisms, noting that their impacts are already evident in the fisheries and livestock sectors.

She called for giving equal importance to technology and to human knowledge and experience.

The adviser made the remarks at an event organised by the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock at the Cotton Development Board in Dhaka, according to a press release.

Farhina Ahmed, secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, said the government aims to address climate change by combining public and private expertise.

She added that initiatives must continue using the country's own resources even if funds from the Conference of the Parties (COP) are not received, noting that the government is allocating $3.5 million from its own climate fund for this purpose.