Solar Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture in Bangladesh

A seminar titled “Prospect & Challenges of Solar Irrigation in Bangladesh” was held to identify ways to expand the use of sustainable energy in Bangladesh’s agricultural sector, ensure energy security, reduce carbon emissions, and transition away from diesel-dependent irrigation systems.

Organised by the Agricultural Engineering Division of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB), the seminar took place on January 12 (Monday) at the Council Hall of the Shaheed Engineer Building at the IEB headquarters in Ramna, Dhaka.

IEB Vice President (Academic and International) Engineer Khan Manjur Morshed attended the event as the chief guest. In his address, he said Bangladesh’s current power generation capacity is nearly double its demand, forcing the government to pay a substantial amount in capacity charges, which has become a burden on the national economy. To overcome this situation, he stressed the need for efficient and diversified use of electricity. He also emphasised providing 100 percent duty- and tax-free facilities on solar panel imports to promote solar power, noting that such measures would make solar energy more accessible to the public and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Solar irrigation, he added, can significantly lower agricultural production costs while contributing to environmental protection and climate change mitigation.

Special guests included Dr Ashraful Alam, Member (Joint Secretary), Renewable Energy, Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA); Engineer Muhammad Badiul Alam Sarkar, Chief Engineer, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC); and Alamgir Morshed, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of IDCOL. They highlighted the importance of policy support, strengthening financing mechanisms, improving technological standards, and enhancing coordination among relevant institutions to expand solar irrigation across the country.

The keynote paper was presented by Mohammad Sarwar Hossain, Additional Chief Engineer of BADC. His presentation provided a data-driven analysis of the current status of solar irrigation, implementation challenges, operational and maintenance constraints, and future priorities.

At the beginning of the programme, welcome remarks were delivered by Engineer Sabbir Ahmed Osmani, Acting Honorary Secretary General of IEB, while the vote of thanks was given by Mohammad Sarwar Mawla, Vice Chairman of the Agricultural Engineering Division.

The seminar was chaired by Engineer Golam Mawla, Chairman of the Agricultural Engineering Division, and moderated by Engineer Mohammad Belal Siddiqui, Secretary of the division.

During the discussion, speakers put forward several key recommendations, including increasing government incentives and subsidies to reduce carbon emissions and diesel use in agriculture, formulating a clear national roadmap for solar irrigation, mobilising international climate finance, strengthening public–private partnerships, adopting green agriculture and net-zero policies, and expanding training programmes to develop skilled human resources.

DBTech/ABM/EK/OR