"We want to increase resources ... it will be good to include their resources in the I-PRSP," he told newsmen after a meeting with the delegation.

The delegation members, comprising the Chief of Staff and Director (Administration) of the Office of the Executive Director from Rome Michael B Stayton and Regional Director from Bangkok Anthony N Banbury, made a courtesy call on the minister at his secretariat office.

WFP Representative in Bangladesh Douglas Casson Coutts was also present at the meeting where the delegates briefed the minister on the priority and major interventions of the WFP country programme.

The minister sought technological support from the WFP and FAO to give a boost to production in the government's priority areas of agriculture and agro-processing.

He apprised them of the government's strategies to develop the sector for generating employment and reducing poverty.

Meanwhile, a WFP statement said the visiting delegates of the UN World Food Programme stressed the need for strong partnership and alliance building to fight hunger.

During the discussion, they reaffirmed their commitment to extending cooperation to Bangladesh in achieving one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) -- bring down to "half the hunger in Bangladesh by 2015".

They appreciated the role of government in implementing the food aid programmes, targeting the most vulnerable poor women across the country.

To achieve the MDG, WFP stressed strong partnership and building alliance among various development partners, UN agencies, donors and the government.

The delegates also appreciated the government for sharing 30 per cent of total resources used for the Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) programme, the world's largest WFP-assisted development programme in Bangladesh.

The delegation members emphasised stronger collaboration with the government in implementing WFP's ongoing School Feeding Programme, which has been proved to be a very successful intervention.

Appreciating WFP assistance to the hardcore poor, the minister underlined the importance of linking food security and school feeding programme with the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP).

The delegation left Dhaka yesterday afternoon ending a three-day good will visit to Bangladesh. They visited different WFP-aided government programmes at the field level.