Experts called for precision agriculture, modern technology and more young people in farming to make safe, nutritious food available to all, at an agriculture ministry seminar for World Food Day 2026 at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) in Farmgate on Friday, 16 October. Agriculture Minister Amin Ur Rashid was chief guest and agriculture secretary Md Selim Khan presided.
The secretary said ensuring nutritious food for every citizen, alongside food security, is now the government's main goal, and that precision agriculture is being given policy priority to make farming profitable. Food quality and safety must be kept at every step from farm to table, he said, adding that special training is planned for young entrepreneurs in drones, digital technology and modern machinery.
Presenting the keynote, expert Iftekharuddaula said sustainable transformation needs genetic, management and spatial potential to be used together, and that tools such as genomics and bioinformatics can raise productivity a great deal. He called for climate-smart farming combining gene editing, artificial intelligence and machine learning, along with proper use of machines, early warning, market information and crop zoning, and for a food and drug regulatory authority.
Dr Valentine Achancho, country director of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), said the Smallholder Agricultural Competitiveness Project, carried out with the ministry, has brought quality seed, farmer business schools and solar irrigation to about 280,000 smallholder households, and that a new Green and Climate Project is expanding across rural Bangladesh.
Shahidul Islam, a former director general of BARC, said the gap between potential and actual output of rice, wheat, pulses, oilseeds and fruit must be closed. Coping with floods, drought and salinity needs balanced fertiliser, protection of soil health, more organic fertiliser, and technology and marketing that reach smallholders, he said.
Reported by Banglanews24's senior correspondent.
Source: Banglanews24
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