US offers Bangladesh $1 bln in aid over next 5 years

The United States said on Saturday that it would offer Bangladesh close to $1 billion in aid over the next five years. 

A US Embassy statement said that the money would go towards alleviating poverty and malnutrition, as well as family planning and the fight against infectious diseases. 

The funds will also be used to support research in improving farm productivity and deal with the impact of climate change. 

As of 2011, the US government has provided over $5.7 billion in development assistance to Bangladesh.