Winners named in contest on food crisis response

Six young entrepreneurs were awarded Monday in "Food Frontiers 2.0", an innovation challenge aimed at identifying the ways to provide nutritious food to low-income consumers.

A hotel in the capital hosted the award giving ceremony of the contest organised by Scaling Up Nutrition Business Network, which is co-convened by the Swiss organisation Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), and World Food Programme.

Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun handed over the awards among the recipients.    

In the three categories of the contest, winners in inclusive business model category are team Agriventure, champion with $10,000 prize and team Farmzila, runner-up with $5,000 prize; in disruptive technological innovation category Cookants is champion with $8,000 prize and Krishi Swapno is runner up with $3,000 prize; in innovative marketing category the champion is Konna Wellbeing winning $5,000 prize. 

Besides, team Happy Street got youth recognition award worth $2,500 for work on food systems innovation and for encouraging more youth engagement with food system.

The pre-seed funds were distributed among the winners for implementing business plan, expansion of the business, and infrastructure development.

Ashek Mahfuz, portfolio lead of Large-Scale Food Fortification programme of GAIN, and SM Mahmudul Hasan, acting coordinator, Scaling Up Nutrition Business Network, GAIN gave welcome address.

Chaired by Kazi Jebunnesa Begum, an additional secretary of the health ministry, Sykh Seraj, director of Channel I, Dr Rudaba Khondker, country director of GAIN Bangladesh, Professor Dr Lutful Hassan, vice chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Md Ruhul Amin Talukder, an additional secretary at the agriculture ministry, Mirza Nurul Ghani Shovon, president of National Association of Small and Cottage Industries of Bangladesh addressed the event.        

The contest aimed at building the capacity of young entrepreneurs in sustainable food systems approaches and business skills for managing social enterprise. The objective was to support innovative business models and technology-based solutions that could be implemented to increase access to nutritious foods.

The entrepreneurs who showed their capacities regarding new innovative models and technological solutions for the supply of safe and nutritious foods and encourage the intake of those foods were considered qualified in the contest.

As part of the contest, a three-day residential boot camp session and investors' gathering were held earlier.    

Addressing the award giving event, Arnoud Hameleers, country director of International Fund for Agricultural Development and one of the judges of the contest, said "Investing in these young entrepreneurs and their innovations is the only sustainable approach to ensure a sustainable food system that leaves no one behind,".  

National Association of Small and Cottage Industries of Bangladesh and Bangladesh Agricultural University were the strategic partners of this event.