World Bank would provide US$100m to Bangladesh in the first phase as budgetary support to help the country build food security. The assurance came yesterday after a meeting between WB Vice President for South Asia Region Isabel Guerrero and Finance Adviser Dr AB Mirza Azizul Islam at Planning Commission office in the city. Later, World Bank Country Director Xian Zhu told reporters they would provide the amount in the first phase but it would be increased further in phases. Isabel Guerrero, who left Dhaka yesterday concluding her two-day visit to Bangladesh, also assured of increasing the bank's assistance in different sectors of the country this year. Referring to Bangladesh's success in achieving Millennium Development Goals the WB Vice-President said Bangladesh is in good position to move forward. The Finance Adviser said they mainly discussed three challenges-climate change, global food price hike and food security. He also said they sought WB assistance in reducing the rate of budget deficiency and aid from Food Crisis Respond Fund of WB to ensure food security. Isabel Guerrero said that food crisis is the most urgent challenge of Bangladesh. "The rise in food prices, and particularly rice, has really hit poor people in Bangladesh,' Guerrero said before her departure from Dhaka yesterday. It was her first visit to the country as the World Bank Vice President for South Asia, a position she commenced on July 2 last. "I am heartened by the government's efforts to help the farmers achieve a bumper Boro rice harvest and to protect the poor from food price inflation, and we remain deeply committed to helping them overcome this urgent challenge,' she said. Given the declining availability of land for agricultural uses, she also emphasised the critical need for increasing agricultural productivity in the medium-term in order to enhance food security in Bangladesh. During her visit, Guerrero met with Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed and discussed the Bank's programmes in Bangladesh and how it can help the country address the shocks of rising commodity prices, particularly oil, food, and fertilizer. The Bank is currently preparing an operation under the World Bank's Food Crisis Response Program (FCRP), focussing on fiscal issues, social protection, and agriculture, she said. The Bank is also conducting a household level survey to directly gauge the impact of food price increases on the poor in Bangladesh. The World Bank has also recently approved funding to expand the Social Investment Program (SIPP) and a disability and Child at Risk project, with plans to also provide financing for secondary education, water supply and sanitation, social protection, and environment in the coming months. With the Chief Adviser and Finance Adviser, Guerrero also discussed key development priorities including infrastructure, human development, climate change, and the government's governance program. Guerrero lauded the government for its commitment to economic policy reforms and its anti-corruption drive.