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Partnerships for sustainable and inclusive food systems transformation in the BIMSTEC region
IFPRI and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Secretariat signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on March 3, 2023, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The MoU will facilitate further collaboration and partnerships to work towards a sustainable and inclusive transformation of food systems in the region. The initial engagements will focus on three major areas - food security and poverty, (b) trade and investment, and (c) climate change and environment.
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BIMSTEC Agricultural Trade Monitor (BATM+)
A new tool, designed by IFPRI researchers, will offer access to disaggregated 8-digit trade data, high-frequency monthly information as well as data on seasonality. The BATM+ dashboard helps in generating data-related analytical insights making it a potentially crucial tool for policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders in the field of agrifood trade.
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IFPRI facilitated the review of the draft BIMSTEC Plan of Action (PoA) on Environment and Climate Change (ECC). A ten-member review committee of experts from various ECC fields was constituted and led by Devesh Roy and Mamata Pradhan. The recommendations of the committee aimed to bridge knowledge gaps in the PoA and were submitted for the consideration of the member states at the Second Joint Working Group Meeting in Paro, Bhutan on October 12, 2023. As a next step the PoA was submitted for approval to the BIMSTEC Senior Officials’ Meeting.
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Inclusive Agricultural Transformation with Climate Change in BIMSTEC Countries
A three-day capacity development workshop and conference was organized by BIMSTEC, IFPRI and the Department of Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Royal Government of Bhutan from October 9 to 11, 2023. The conference consisted of four key sessions- climate vulnerability; integrated approach to climate goals and governance in BIMSTEC; technological cooperation, traditional and indigenous knowledge, climate smart agri-food system in BIMSTEC; and leveraging and exploring markets for climate action.
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A regional conference on agrifood trade in BIMSTEC region was jointly organized with RIS in New Delhi on August 17 focused on potential areas of convergence on the state of agriculture, food processing and regional value chains, agriculture technology and investments and regional food trade. Read more
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A training program on BIMSTEC agricultural trade analysis was jointly organized with RIS in Dhaka, Bangladesh from July 17 to 18. It was designed to promote better understanding of the current global and regional agricultural trade challenges.
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IFPRI's 2023 Global Food Policy Report was launched with national and regional partners in Kathmandu, Nepal from June 19 to 20. The event brought together policymakers and stakeholders to discuss policy responses on the impact of food crises, improve livelihoods and incomes, and food and nutrition security. Read more
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A training program on BIMSTEC agricultural trade analysis was jointly organized with RIS in Puducherry, India from February 17 to 18. The programs were designed to promote better understanding of the current global and regional agricultural trade challenges. Read more
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A comprehensive study is being conducted to understand the complexities of informal agri-food trade between India and Bangladesh. Many interactions with different stakeholders operating in this dynamic trade landscape have helped researchers gather qualitative data via structured interviews, observations, and questionnaires, and gain interesting insights.
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IFPRI's new partnership with the Policy Research Institute, Bangladesh, will provide policy analysis on Bangladesh-India bilateral trade and investment in agricultural commodities. The research will have provision and access to 8-digit monthly level trade data and port wise data and will be extended to other BIMSTEC member countries as well.
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IFPRI has embarked on an ambitious project on agri-food trade in India as part of the project on BIMSTEC countries. In the Colombo declaration and in BIMSTEC goals agri-food trade is targeted to increase manifold, a stated objective of BIMSTEC and also the vision statement of India’s agri-export strategy. To this end IFPRI plans to work with NITI Aayog experts to understand the trade patterns and in designing policies in agri-food trade. In a break from standard analyses, researchers will be looking at an 8-digit classification, port wise, at comparatively high frequency and prices to capture quality movements and other elements of product differentiation.
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Informal trade: Insights from Phansidewa at the India-Bangladesh border
Authors: Nisha Taneja, Sanjana Joshi, Sanya Dua, Abul Kamar, Sunil Saroj, Devesh Roy, and Mamata Pradhan
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India’s edible oil imports from Nepal: Policy implications of current tariffs and free trade agreements
Authors: Abul Kamar, Devesh Roy, and Shahidur Rashid
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