Bangladesh has huge potential in agriculture sector. Now we need to spread mechanization and modern technology in agricultural production processing, transportation, storage, lab testing and so on. In this situation, the apex body of traders FBCCI has emphasized increasing the technical skills of farmers to reduce the agricultural productivity and cost of cultivation.
FBCCI vice-president MA Momen opined so in a preparatory meeting on ‘Indo-Bangladesh Agri Mechanization Summit’ on Tuesday (January 10).
He said, ‘India is one of the top countries in the production of agricultural parts. Their skills, technology and innovation can contribute significantly to agricultural mechanization in Bangladesh. In this regard, Indo-Bangladesh Agri Mechanization Summit will create an opportunity to strengthen mutual cooperation between the parties of both the countries.
FBCCI Vice President Md. Amin Helali participated in the meeting and said, ‘Agricultural mechanization is now a burning issue in Bangladesh. Currently, mechanization has become more important at the post-harvesting stage. Many crops are lost in the field due to not being harvested and processed on time. The Indo-Bangladesh Agri Mechanization Summit will be a great platform for knowledge sharing for those who are manufacturing agricultural machinery in Bangladesh.’
Agricultural entrepreneurs urged the marketing companies to bring customized and small agricultural machinery in the market keeping in mind the farming culture in Bangladesh. Besides, they propose to further improve the quality of agricultural machinery.
At this time,
The director of FBCCI Dr. Ferdausi Begum said, ‘We don’t want to be just buyers of agricultural machinery. We want manufacturers to invest in Bangladesh. Let us manufacture machinery according to the demand of our farmers. It is also important to consider how we can get technical training from them.’
Secretary of Tractor and Mechanization Association (TMA) Atreyi Tolapatra was present in the meeting. He said, ‘Joint venture initiatives can be taken to increase the capacity of agricultural mechanization. Agricultural research and innovation can be worked together from seed sowing to crop harvesting, harvesting, drying, processing, transportation and marketing.’
FBCCI director MGR Nasir Majumder, Vijay Kumar Kejriwal, Md. Hafez Harun, Md. Nasser, Bangladesh Head (Farm Equipment Sector) of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. Sourav Biswas and other agricultural entrepreneurs were also present in the preparatory meeting.