Dhaka, – Bangladesh is one of 22 countries from Asia and the Pacific participating in a regional event, starting in Dhaka today, to strengthen one special agricultural product from each country.

Bangladesh, which is promoting jackfruit, is taking the lead as the region’s demonstration project for the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 

Other regional countries involved are Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Viet Nam.

Representatives from each country gathered at an international hotel in Dhaka for the two-day event, hosted by FAO, where they will discuss sustainable development projects for their ‘special agricultural products’, which range from taro root vegetables to tea, turmeric, vanilla, millet, and cocoa.

In Asia and the Pacific, producing and promoting highly-valued and country-specific foods is gaining momentum for domestic and foreign consumption. While many foods and agricultural products are native to many countries around the world, in most nations there is at least one product in particular that stands out.

FAO launched a project earlier this year to support small-scale jackfruit farmers and entrepreneurs in Bangladesh.

Robert D. Simpson, FAO Representative in Bangladesh, said: “This event is a great opportunity to further promote Bangladesh’s national fruit. There is strong and growing demand for jackfruit globally and FAO is assisting producers to exploit this potential.”

Jackfruit is one of the most important and widely grown fruits in the country. Bangladesh is the world’s second largest jackfruit producer, behind India. Jackfruit accounts for more than a fifth of the country’s total fruit production (with mango being the number one fruit in terms of annual production). 

Jackfruit is cultivated all over the country. Dhaka accounts for a quarter of national production. Other leading jackfruit growing districts are Gazipur, Tangail, Mymensingh, Khustia, Rangamati, Khagrachari and Narsingdi. The majority of jackfruit is cultivated on family farms and women are involved in production and processing. 

Nutritious jackfruit is a good source of vitamins, minerals, and calories. Despite these nutritional benefits and export potential, jackfruit has until now received little attention for value addition.

The Government of Bangladesh selected jackfruit under the OCOP initiative. Bangladesh was selected as one of the first five demonstration countries, along with Egypt, Malawi, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uzbekistan.

Jackfruit farmer Kazi Muhammad Fazlul Huq from Gazipur, said: “Jackfruit is a very tasty and healthy fruit. The tree itself, the leaves, the fruits, and the seeds can all be used. Jackfruit is easy to grow, and it doesn't get eaten by bugs very often. It also has a high yield. With more places to process jackfruit, it could become a more profitable crop for farmers like me.”

How the OCOP approach can make a difference

Research by FAO has found that more than half of our calories come from just nine plant species, even though an estimated 27 500 edible plants are growing around the world. Diversifying towards underutilized types of food is an opportunity to improve food security and become more resilient to shocks like diseases like those that can drastically reduce a staple crop’s yield and affordability. While making the most of the rich variety grown and eaten around the world, OCOP’s global reach makes it a strategic entry point for disseminating a holistic set of policies and technical capacity that can support an agrifood transformation that benefits the environment, livelihoods and nutrition. 

In Bangladesh, OCOP can deliver even more through synergies with FAO’s Hand-in-Hand digital village initiative.  Empowering smallholders with digital skills and equipment improves production and makes markets more efficient, creating an environment for further investment in agriculture. 

Influence of Asia and the Pacific on OCOP

OCOP began in 2021 but it has roots stretching back to the ‘One Village One Product’ movement which started in the Oita prefecture of Japan in 1979. The approach proved successful from an early stage, and Asia and the Pacific was where many of this movement’s early adopters refined the approach and showed how it can be adapted to benefit many differing contexts. 

The two-day event in Dhaka showcases the OCOP projects in Asia and the Pacific, and demonstrates that this region continues to play an active, leading role for this innovative and its inclusive approach. 

These influential experiences from the region are presented in a FAO study published in 2022 by the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and available on the OCOP global website OCOP participants and through which other stakeholders can learn.

What are Special Agricultural Products (SAPs)?

Special Agricultural Products (SAPs) have unique qualities and special characteristics associated with geographical locations and cultural heritages. They are an important example of underutilized resources that can significantly contribute to ensuring food security and healthy diets, supporting farmers’ livelihoods and economic growth while protecting the environment and biodiversity. SAPs include all kinds of agricultural products, recognized (or having the potential to be recognized) as symbolic national or local agricultural products, but have not benefited from local agricultural and rural development programmes to the extent of commonly grown staple crops (e.g. rice, wheat, maize, soybean and potato). SAPs have huge potential to be integrated into local, regional, and global markets and trade.

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