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Key global players came together at Wageningen University, a leading global university for agricultural sciences, to commit to collaborate in making agriculture in Bangladesh resilient, resilient, profitable and sustainable for smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs.
All the collaborators made the decision at a roundtable on the “Future of Agriculture in Bangladesh” convened by the Bangladesh Embassy. M Riaz Hamidullah, Ambassador of Bangladesh to the Netherlands, moderated and shared the background of the roundtable, especially how the global agritech community can tap into the potential opportunities in Bangladesh.
More than 230 experts and researchers from around the world participated in the discussion. The Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada was a partner of this event.
Presentations by six leading experts focused on how to address key challenges facing Bangladesh: rapidly increasing crop yields; developing resilient supply chains; expanding agricultural mechanization; and closing skills gaps through training.
FAO and World Bank headquarters also shared their views. Agriculture Minister Wahida Akhter outlined the government’s thinking on agricultural transformation. Baljit Singh, vice-chancellor of the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, pledged to strengthen university collaboration in agricultural research in Bangladesh.
Minister Dr. Abdus Shahid said agriculture is a key focus of cooperation with the Netherlands, especially to bring transformative technologies, innovations and research capabilities to Bangladesh. He also said: “I am a farmer-turned-politician. In my seven decades of life, I have seen how millions of small and marginal farmers have overcome challenges in the delta region.”
Finally, Wageningen University, the University of Saskatchewan and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) have jointly launched a tripartite collaboration agreement to pilot impact-oriented initiatives at the grassroots level in Bangladesh.
Today, the Netherlands is the second largest exporter of agricultural products in the world, with exports of $123 billion per year (2022). So far, they have conducted 7 market scans on the agricultural business potential of Bangladesh.
This high-level roundtable is the result of the ongoing efforts of the Embassy of Bangladesh, which in 2022, in conjunction with Wageningen University, convened the first such discussion to explore future opportunities for agriculture in Bangladesh, particularly empowering small and marginal farmers.
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