Yunus becomes emotional while talking about 1974 famine
“People died due to hunger. Our country experienced a huge famine. 1.5 million people died. That was the reality of independent Bangladesh,” he said
During his address at the official inauguration of the Bangladesh Investment Summit 2025 at the InterContinental Dhaka today (9 April), Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus became visibly emotional as he reflected on the famine of 1974.
"In 1971, the birth of an independent country came at the cost of lives. Today, Bangladesh has a population of 180 million, whereas back then, it was one-third of that. Then came 1974," the CA said during his address.
At this point, he paused briefly, overwhelmed with emotion. With tears welling up, he continued his speech. "People died due to hunger. Our country experienced a huge famine. 1.5 million people died. That was the reality of independent Bangladesh."
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Referring to the famine period, the CA noted that in those days, Bangladesh's agricultural practices were limited to cultivating a single crop annually, as no alternative methods were known.
"The people of our country were known as farmers because they had no other profession. And three-quarters of them did not own any land. They grew just one crop to survive. Life was extremely tough. If you observe the journey from 1974 to 2025, you'll see it has been a remarkable one," he said.
"We are now discussing big industries, foreign companies wanting to establish factories here, talking about large markets, and engaging with the youth. In a very short period, Bangladesh has come a long way," he added.
He stated that during the famine, an initiative was taken to provide microloans to poor people so they could start their own businesses. He also noted that most of the loans were primarily given to women. "This was the microcredit programme. We established the Grameen Bank. At that time, we had no idea what path it would take. It eventually became a globally recognized name."
Addressing the investors at the summit, CA Yunus said, "No matter which country you live in, a small 1974 resides within you. You may try to hide it, but you can't deny it. I've always said that providing money to the poor is not a solution. The solution lies in building infrastructure and unlocking the potential of the people. Microcredit was a small initiative. A strange plan was made to issue a government telephone license."
Recalling the history of Grameenphone's launch, the chief adviser said, "We didn't need telephones at that time. Most of them didn't work. So, why would a telephone company need a license? The government asked: 'What will you do with a telephone company?' I said: 'We will give it to poor women.' We got the license, and after Grameen Bank, Grameenphone was established."
