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HomePosts Tagged "Bangladesh"
AgroPolicy, Floriculture, SAARC

Expected to produce around 2,051 tonnes of sunflowers

Sunflower farming has become increasingly popular in Bangladesh, with over 3,000 hectares of land being used for its cultivation this season. Officials have reported that a total of 3,100 hectares of land have been used for sunflower farming in Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira, and Narail districts.

In Bagerhat, a total of 1,048 hectares of land were used for sunflower farming, exceeding the target of 986 hectares set by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE). This is expected to produce around 2,051 tonnes of sunflowers. In Narail, 105 hectares of land were cultivated, exceeding the target of 103 hectares, with a production aim of 240 tonnes.

In Khulna, 1,809 hectares of land have been used for sunflower farming, which is slightly less than the target of 2,026 hectares. The production target for Khulna is 4,822 tonnes. In Satkhira, sunflowers were cultivated on 138 hectares of land, which is slightly less than the target of 150 hectares. The production target for Satkhira is 338 tonnes.

According to the local media, sunflower cultivation has been completed on 3,100 hectares of land, which is slightly less than the target of 3,265 hectares. The production target for the region is 7,451 tonnes this season.

According to the government official, sunflower farming has become popular because it is a lucrative and less expensive crop to cultivate. About eight maunds of sunflower seed can be produced from one bigha of land. Initiatives are underway to create a market for selling sunflower seeds.

The government has taken various steps to increase oilseed production. Following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s instructions, fallow land has been brought under sunflower cultivation. The DAE has provided training and motivation to farmers in the respective areas about sunflower cultivation.

Expected to produce around 2,051 tonnes of

Bee keeping, Finance, Floriculture, World

The project will focus on enhancing the marketability of honey products by providing access to certification and forward market linkages

Standard Chartered Bangladesh and BASA Foundation are collaborating to foster environmentally conscious agriculture and apiculture processes. As part of a recently launched initiative, the two organisations will uplift local honey producers and create opportunities for entrepreneurs looking to sell and market honey-related products. By investing in apiculture – which is focused on increasing the local bee population – the Bank is playing a key role in safeguarding our nation’s agriculture sector, as bees are an essential part of the agricultural cycle. Understanding and protecting pollinators is key to supporting healthy ecosystems and sustainable agriculture. The project will also boost nutrition status by adding honey and honey-based products to people’s diets. The Bank will contribute BDT 29 million to implement this joint project, and in doing so, will help to enhance food hygiene and safety; promote job and value creation; increase sustainable mechanisation; safeguard pollination; promote sustainable agriculture; and empower local actors with end-to-end support.

This initiative between Standard Chartered and BASA Foundation focuses on three core goals. The first is to teach approximately 800 honey farmers – both new and old – about honey production, processing essentials, and maintenance of hygiene parameters. The second aim is to build income generation capacity for all beneficiaries via the provision of mechanisation support and quality management tools. Finally, the project will focus on enhancing the marketability of honey products by providing access to certification and forward market linkages. Beyond these goals, the project will also provide individuals with beekeeping boxes, comb foundation sheet machines, honey extractors, honey processing machines, and food-grade containers for storage and preservation. Branding and marketing support will also be extended to all participants.

Naser Ezaz Bijoy, Chief Executive Officer, of Standard Chartered Bangladesh, said, “Apiculture investment not only fosters the growth of honeybee populations but also cultivates a flourishing impact on our nation’s agriculture sector by enhancing crop pollination, biodiversity, and overall agricultural productivity. We are also excited to uplift 800 beekeepers and apiculture entrepreneurs and provide them with new opportunities to innovate and improve their livelihoods. Standard Chartered is proud to partner with BASA Foundation to promote sustainable practices that safeguard our food systems while simultaneously contributing to broader goals of environmental conservation and ecological harmony.”

The project will focus on enhancing the

Finance, SAARC, Sustainability, Water

It will significantly increase agricultural productivity and profitability through effective, participatory, and sustainable water resources management over more than 220,000 hectares in 42 districts

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $106 million loan to improve water resources management and agricultural productivity in rural Bangladesh. 

The project builds on the success and lessons from three prior ADB-financed participatory small-scale water resources management projects in Bangladesh and scales up investment while intensifying climate and disaster resilience support and food security through new and improved water resources infrastructures and services for flood and drought risk management, drainage improvement, and irrigation systems modernisation. It will significantly increase agricultural productivity and profitability through effective, participatory, and sustainable water resources management over more than 220,000 hectares in 42 districts, home to 77 per cent of the rural poor.

Implemented by the Local Government Engineering Department, it will establish 150 new water management cooperative associations and strengthen 230 existing ones; support emergency reconstruction and modernisation of the Bakkhali rubber dam scheme; construct 110 kilometres of farm and village roads with all-weather features; and increase participation of women, youth, and small ethnic communities. 

“More than half of the national population live in rural areas, and agriculture is a main source of employment. Livelihoods are threatened by worsening water insecurity and climate impacts,” said Olivier Drieu, ADB Senior Water Resources Specialist. “The project will strengthen climate and disaster resilience by introducing water management measures, such as raising and strengthening flood embankments, deepening channels to increase water retention, irrigation structures, efficient electric pump-pipe and buried-pipe irrigation systems, as well as new technologies for crop and aquaculture production. It will also promote climate-smart agribusiness and fishery development and marketing to support the livelihoods of 380,000 households, especially those of women and vulnerable persons.”

The innovative and climate resilience features of the project have attracted cofinancing. The International Fund for Agricultural Development provides a loan of $42.98 million and the Government of the Netherlands a grant of $17.8 million to finance innovative pilot works and consulting services supporting the innovations. The Government of Bangladesh provides $58.22 million of counterpart funds.

It will significantly increase agricultural productivity and

Agri Genomics, AgroPolicy, SAARC, Textile industry

This is the second GM plant introduced in the country, following Bt brinjal in 2014

Bangladesh has introduced two types of genetically modified (GM) cotton to increase crop yields and reduce the need for imports.

This is the second GM crop introduced in the country, following Bt brinjal in 2014.

During a seminar held at the Cotton Development Board office in Dhaka, Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, Agriculture Minister stated that the introduction of Bt and hybrid varieties could help meet around 20 per cent of the domestic cotton demand, which amounts to approximately 1.5 million bales.

Spinning and weaving industries need an additional 85 lakh bales of cotton to produce yarn and fabrics for export-oriented garment factories.

According to local media, domestic growers can only supply two lakh bales of cotton. As a result, Bangladesh imports a significant amount of cotton from countries such as India, Pakistan, Brazil, Australia, Argentina, South Africa, and Central Asian countries, spending around Tk 33,000 crore annually.

The production cost of Bt cotton is 12-15 per cent lower than local varieties, with an average yield of 4,500 kg per hectare, 15-20 per cent higher.

This is the second GM plant introduced

Acquaculture, Animal Health, Live Stock, Sustainability

Artemia is widely used as live feed for farmed fish and can thrive in highly saline water

The Artemia4Bangladesh project, initiated by WorldFish, introduced Artemia or brine shrimp pond culture in the Cox Bazar region of Bangladesh to address the issue of poor fish productivity. The region, which produces 95 per cent of the salt in Bangladesh, only provides minimal income to around 1.5 million people employed in the industry.

Artemia is widely used as live feed for farmed fish and can thrive in highly saline water. It contains essential nutrients, such as over 50 per cent protein, essential amino acids, and fatty acids that are crucial for child development. This makes it a potential food source for people as well.

The project established around 150 farms and trained 1,500 farmers on Artemia pond culture, homestead aquaculture and vegetable gardening, and shrimp, tilapia, carp, and mola aquaculture. These interventions allowed farmers to supplement their income from salt production by selling Artemia to local shrimp hatcheries, nurseries, grow-out farms, and fish, shrimp, and crab producers. As a result, their income increased by up to 400 per cent.

WorldFish also developed recipes to introduce Artemia into the local diet. For example, Artemia kebabs are becoming popular in the area as an alternative to meat kebabs, and an Artemia omelette was created as a healthy option to support nutrition for women and children. These recipes were demonstrated with tastings to more than 200 salt-farming families.

Artemia not only provides an alternative source of income and nutrition for the community but also helps them adapt to the impacts of climate change. As water salinity increases, the coastal community’s agriculture and aquaculture productivity decrease. However, Artemia’s resilience to high salinity and temperatures ensures stable incomes for farmers in the face of climate change.

Artemia is widely used as live feed

Agrotech, Company News, India, R&D

Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) plans to procure 2,500 drones for spraying its products, nano urea and nano DAP (Diammonium Phosphate).

IoTechWorld Avigation Pvt Ltd announced that it has emerged as a leader in the IFFCO drone project and secured a large contract from major cooperative IFFCO to supply 500 drones, which will be primarily used to spray nano liquid urea and DAP.

Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) plans to procure 2,500 drones for spraying its products, nano urea and nano DAP (Diammonium Phosphate). IFFCO also plans to create 5,000 rural entrepreneurs, who would be trained for spraying via drones.

Gurugram-headquartered IoTechWorld, the manufacturer of India’s first DGCA-type certified drone ‘AGRIBOT’, has been Co-Founded by Deepak Bhardwaj and Anoop Upadhyay. IoTechWorld Avigation is also backed by leading agritech company Dhanuka Agritech Ltd.

“We are indeed privileged to receive the single biggest order for the purchase of Krishi-drones from IFFCO. The company will deliver 500 drones to IFFCO by December 2023,” said Upadhyay.

He further said that since IoTechWorld’s inception, the endeavour has been to promote technological innovation in the field of agriculture, and the company is the pioneer of Krishi-drones in the country.

Elaborating on the large supply order from IFFCO, Co-founder Bhardwaj said the drone market is rapidly growing, and there has been tremendous demand from various companies, including fertiliser and pesticides companies as well as from rural entrepreneurs, including farmers.

“Our AGRIBOT (Krishi drone) has been specially designed and programmed for fertilisers. The order from IFFCO is a testament to our strength in the agri-drone segment. We aim to help farmers and Agri Entrepreneurs in the Implementation of made-in-India Nano Urea and Nano DAP newly launched by IFFCO,” he said.

Besides IFFCO, IoTechWorld Avigation has partnered with agrochemical company Syngenta and has undertaken 17,000 KM of drone yatra in various parts of the country.

“We are expecting 5-6 times more demand in the current fiscal compared to last year, with a target of selling more than 3,000 drones in this fiscal year. We are also exploring opportunities for exports. The Government’s recent decision to liberalise the export policy for drones opens up a gamut of opportunity, and there is a huge demand in overseas markets,” Upadhyay added.

The company is also in discussion for exporting drones in regions like SAARC, South East Asia, Latin America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Oman, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Philippines, Nepal, and Africa, which are the focus countries of IoTech export sales.

The company is also extensively focusing on creating awareness about the benefits of using drones in agriculture. IoTech has also set up several small pilot training organisations where people are trained to fly drones.

Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) plans

Animal Health, Company News, World

Joining hands with Dr Amit Das, A-Systems aims for Allix to be one of the most used formulation software in the area in the coming years.

A-Systems, a market-leading provider of animal nutrition software, announced its partnership with Dr Amit Das to strengthen its position in South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka).

For the last 20 years, A-Systems has developed the Allix feed formulation software, KAllix quality control software and Ruminix Ruminant Ration Balancer. These solutions are some of the most used solutions in some parts of the world. So by joining hands with Dr Amit Das, A-Systems aims for Allix to be one of the most used formulation software in the area in the coming years.

Dr Amit Das is a well-known reference in the animal nutrition industry. He started his career in V.H Group (Uttara Feeds) as Animal Nutritionist and then worked as Head of Animal Nutrition and R&D at ACI-Godrej Agrovet and Business Head at Amrit Global BD Ltd. In addition, for many years, he has been providing consultancy to key players in India, Bangladesh, Nepal & some countries in Africa.  Dr Das has a deep knowledge of the existing feed formulation software market available in India. He is very confident in Allix3 formulation software, and he feels that this software will add a lot of value to the feed industry. This is a very powerful formulation tool and is very user-friendly.

“I have been very impressed by the quality of the solutions and services provided by A-Systems’; having more than 20 years of experience in feed formulation, I have never experienced such great software. I am truly confident Allix3 users have a lot to gain from this modern solution,” said Dr Amit Das.

This new partnership enables A-Systems to rely on a local and trusted consultant providing high-quality advice and support. “A-Systems is very excited to start marketing in this key market collaborating with Dr Das. His long experience in the animal nutrition industry and his choice to collaborate with A-Systems to provide a better service to his customers in the South Asia market gives a good reason to South Asian feed mills to give it a try Allix3,” said Benoit Chesnais in charge of the Asian development of A-Systems.

Joining hands with Dr Amit Das, A-Systems

India, Supply Chain, Trade, Vegetables

Six trucks carrying 10 tonnes of green chilli each entered the land port

After a five-day Eid-ul-Azha break, trade between India and Bangladesh resumed through the land port of Bhomra in Satkhira with the arrival of 60 tonnes of green chilli, according to local media of Bangladesh.

Six trucks carrying 10 tonnes of green chilli each entered the land port. The import would reduce the cost of green chilli on the local market.

A number of trucks carrying green chilli from India are currently travelling to Bangladesh and will arrive at the land port.

The government authorised the importation of 36,830 tonnes of green chilli, which resulted in the arrival of approximately 93 tons of the essential kitchen ingredient in Bangladesh within a week.

Bangladesh has already received over 138,000 tonnes of onion, despite the government’s authorisation to import 918,000 tonnes.

The Bangladesh Ministry of Agriculture granted permission for the importation of green chilli as a result of the rising cost of green chilli in the local market.

Six trucks carrying 10 tonnes of green

Agro chems – Chemicals, Agro chems – Pesticides, Agrotech, Company News, India

Under this partnership Bayer provided Crystal access to newer innovations and Crystal based on their manufacturing and development strength helped bring new solutions to the Indian market.

 Bayer CropScience and Crystal Crop Protection Limited came together in 2018 to embark on a collaborative project to enhance the productivity of Rice and Cotton farmers in India. Under this collaboration, Bayer provided Crystal access to newer innovations and Crystal based on their manufacturing and development strength helped bring new solutions to the Indian market. Today, Bayer CropScience and Crystal Crop Protection Limited have launched the product, Curbix Pro and Kollar respectively, to aid farmers in tackling plant hoppers, ensuring the best crop protection practices are implemented.

Through this partnership, Bayer and Crystal have provided Indian farmers with solutions to build effective crop protection programs and create strong resistance against pests. As India is the world’s second-largest producer, and the largest exporter of rice, farmer needs and crop dynamics in India differs from the large-scale agricultural operations in western countries. One of the main reasons for crop loss in paddy cultivation is pest attacks. Paddy fields essentially are infested by two types of paddy hoppers, Brown Plant Hopper, or White Backed Plant Hopper, which can lead to huge crop loss. To tackle this issue, Bayer and Crystal will provide farmers with an innovative product, having a unique combination of dual active ingredients against plant hoppers. With this dual action, farmers will be able to ensure lesser crop losses, leading to higher yields.

Speaking on the launch, Simon-Thorsten Wiebusch, Country Divisional Head, Crop Science Division of Bayer for India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka said, “The importance of rice to India and even the world’s food security needs cannot be overstated. What impacts rice, impacts the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers. Our expertise lies in creating innovative solutions and in building collaborative ecosystems that help deliver the best value to our growers. Curbix Pro will surely be a significant value addition to our vast portfolio targeted at enhancing farmer yields and income. 

“It is another momentous occasion for us to successfully launch Kollar co-developed with Bayer Crop Science. This new offering is a milestone for Crystal’s enhancing R&D capabilities, which will support paddy farmers to enhance their profitability. With this, Crystal now has a very strong and value-driven portfolio for the full crop cycle of paddy crop.” said Ankur Aggarwal, Managing Director, Crystal Crop Protection Limited.

Under this partnership Bayer provided Crystal access

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, India, Sustainability

The focus of the training was to provide hands-on training on the Production protocol of biocontrol agents for the management of Fall armyworm

A five-day training programme on the Production protocol of biocontrol agents for the management of Fall armyworm was organised at ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources, Bengaluru for seven officials from Nepal and Bangladesh.

The training was sponsored by USAID, under the Feed the Future Nepal Integrated Pest Management Program (FTFNIPM) and Feed the Future Bangladesh Integrated Pest Management (IPMA) program funded by USAID.  

The focus of the training was to provide hands-on training on the Production protocol of biocontrol agents for the management of Fall armyworm.

Dr S. N. Sushil, Director, ICAR-NBAIR chaired the inaugural and valedictory program. In his address, he emphasised that closer working with neighbouring countries is essential to ward off the threat due to alien invasive pests. He also emphasised the importance of regional cooperation in the field of pest identification and sustainable management of invasive pests.

The training programme will enable the participants to set up production units or fine-tune the methodologies adopted at existing units in their respective countries.

The focus of the training was to

Dairy, Live Stock, Sustainability, World

The five-day event also discusses the role of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh as future importers and self-sufficient markets

Dairy Olympics 2023 will be held in Uzbekistan during 21-26 May in partnership with Agritechnica and EuroTier. As part of the international conference program to be held with over 400 visitors, themed tours to farms and processing plants will be organised.

At the 14th Dairy Olympics, an international conference event addressing region-relevant dairy topics is being held this year in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where the DLG (German Agricultural Society) will be contributing with its dairy know-how and management as well as farm equipment expertise. DLG’s two world-leading Germany-based exhibitions, Agritechnica, the international agricultural machinery exhibition, and EuroTier, the trade fair for animal farming and livestock management, will feature as partners with a contributing expert participating in the conference program from 21-26 May.

Designated as an official Agritechnica on Tour stop, which explores regional farm machinery topics, the Dairy Olympics is expected to attract 400 visitors from neighbouring countries including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as international experts.

The venue of Uzbekistan is interesting as it is not only one of the most populous countries in Central Asia but also one of the youngest. Agriculture plays an important role in the overall economy, employing over a quarter of the workforce, with a government program seeking to reform the sector, using modern genetics, production methods and a consistent feed system. Water management is a major challenge and the country is still coping with the legacy of its recent past. Some 27 million hectares of arable land represent 63 per cent of Uzbekistan’s total land area.

The five-day event not only explores the Uzbek dairy sector in-depth but also discusses the role of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh as future importers and self-sufficient markets, as well as the position of Turkey in the region. Current technological, social and humanitarian challenges in the industry will be topics of discourse throughout the conference, a highlight of which will be the DLG’s expert contribution, entitled ‘Crises and sustainability policies: impact on dairy farming’ and presented by Dr Olga Hunger, Area Director Eastern Europe, DLG.

The five-day event also discusses the role

Agrotech, World

The company has announced a full commercial roll-out in Bangladesh

Bayer has launched GeoPotato, a geodata-driven early warning system for late blight in potatoes, and has entered a full commercial roll-out in Bangladesh. It could potentially reach as many as 1 million smallholder farmers in the coming years.

Devised by Wageningen Plant Research, Terrasphere, mPower, Bayer and governmental institutions, GeoPotato’s cutting-edge technology employs a sophisticated risk assessment algorithm evaluating many factors impacting crop development on the field– including satellite data, weather forecasts, disease cycles and crop biomass growth – to assess key risk factors for late blight development (susceptible host, conducive environment and pathogen presence) on a highly localised basis.

When it predicts a disease outbreak, it sends farmers an early alert via SMS or voicemail, three days before the outbreak is forecasted to occur. It also advises which fungicidal product would be most effective to help growers take action in a fast and efficient manner.

After running trials for the last five seasons, GeoPotato was launched publicly in November 2021. To maximise its impact, project partners have reached out to more than 50,000 farmers in key potato-producing areas. Ultimately, they intend to expand it to all of Bangladesh, as well as parts of India, reaching more than 1 million farmers and making a significant step toward Bayer’s commitment to empower 100 million smallholder farmers by 2030.

The company has announced a full commercial

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, Supply Chain, Trade

Inland Waterways Authority of India plans to run a fixed schedule sailing between NW1 and NW2 heralding a new age of inland water transport for Assam and North East India

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and AYUSH, Sarbananda Sonowal received the maiden voyage of food-grains from Patna to Pandu via Bangladesh in Guwahati. Chief Minister of Assam, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma along with Sanjay Bandopadhyay, Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) welcomed the self-propelled vessel MV Lal Bahadur Shastri carrying a total of 200 MT of foodgrains for the Food Corporation of India (FCI) as it completed the maiden pilot run from Patna to Pandu via Bangladesh. IWAI is planning to run a fixed schedule sailing between NW1 and NW2 heralding a new age of inland water transport for Assam and North East India.

The vessel started its sail from Patna on National Waterway-1 (river Ganga) and passed through Bhagalpur, Manihari, Sahibganj, Farakka, Tribeni, Kolkata, Haldia, Hemnagar; Indo Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) route through Khulna, Narayanganj, Sirajganj, Chilmari and National Waterway-2 through Dhubri, and Jogighopa covering a distance of 2,350 km.

The IWAI is also planning to run a regularly scheduled service on these routes. The protocol on Inland water transit and Trade (PIWTT) between India and Bangladesh will be optimally beneficial when we can unlock the value from the cargo trade in the region. To improve the navigability, two stretches of IBP routes, i.e., Sirajganj-Daikhowa and Ashuganj-Zakiganj are also being developed at a cost of Rs 305.84 crore on an 80:20 share basis (80 per cent is borne by India and 20 per cent by Bangladesh).

Inland Waterways Authority of India plans to