Develop skills of farmers for more productivity

Bangladesh should give priority on the efficient skills development of farmers to increase agricultural productivity and reduce the cost of cultivation, said MA Momen, vice-president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI).

Momen made the comment during a preparatory meeting at the FBCCI office yesterday about the upcoming "Indo-Bangladesh Agri Mechanisation Summit".

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The FBCCI in cooperation with the Indian High Commission, Dhaka will organise the three-day summit which will kick off at the International Convention City Bashundhara in the capital on January 27-29.

"Bangladesh has a lot of potential in the agriculture sector. Now we have to move towards mechanisation of agricultural production, food processing, storage, and testing," he said.

Citing the name of India, who is one of the leading countries in the production of agri machinery, Momen said their skills and technology can contribute to the agricultural mechanisation of Bangladesh.

The summit will create an opportunity to develop cooperation between the stakeholders of both countries, he added.

Amin Helaly, another vice-president of the FBCCI, said agri-mechanisation is now a burning issue in Bangladesh.

"Mechanisation in the post-harvesting period is more essential here. Due to the labour crisis and poor processing capacity, a significant number of crops are damaged at the farm level," Helaly said.

Atreyee Talapatra, secretary to the Tractor and Mechanization Association, said the event aims to create an agri-mechanised ecosystem in Bangladesh that in turn will lead to increase the food production of the country.

The agri entrepreneurs urged the manufacturers to produce customised equipment for farmers by considering the local farming culture.

FBCCI director Ferdousi Begum echoed the sentiment and said they don't want to be just buyers of agri-equipment.

"We urge manufacturers to invest more in the agri machinery sector," she said.