Under the FoodTechBangladesh Project, the Center of Excellence in Khulna at Gemini Sea Food PLC was unveiled on Wednesday.
Andre Carstens, chargé d’affaires at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh inaugurated the centre.
Ambassador Andre Carstens emphasized the strong partnership between the two countries, describing the Center of Excellence (CoE) as a prime example of sustainable aquaculture and effective international collaboration.
The event was also attended by Iftakharul Alam, senior assistant director of planning at the Fisheries Department, Kazi Inam Ahmed, managing director of Gemini Sea Food PLC, Zahedul Amin, director of Lightcastle Partners, Victor Bierbooms, owner of Viqon Water Solutions, and others.
Iftakharul Alam expressed his gratitude to the Dutch Embassy and highlighted the importance of partnerships with local universities to promote entrepreneurship and innovation.
Kazi Inam Ahmed highlighted technology's transformative role in sustainable aquaculture. Traditional methods limit production, increase costs, and reduce global competitiveness.
This project focuses on adopting advanced farming technologies to maximize output, reduce production costs, enhance global competitiveness, and ensure local protein supply, he added.
Zahedul Amin, Director of LightCastle Partners, stressed the importance of knowledge transfer in driving inclusive growth and enhancing the aquaculture value chain.
He also stressed the importance of knowledge transfer in strengthening the aquaculture value chain.
Along with Gemini Sea Food PLC, the FoodTech Bangladesh Consortium includes Viqon Water Solutions and De Heus Animal Nutrition from the Netherlands and Fishtech Limited from Bangladesh, with Larive International and LightCastle Partners as the implementing organizations.
The project and its partners aim to improve technology, enhance farm management practices, and increase the technical capacity of fish farmers and breeders.
This initiative, which began in August 2022, initially spanned four years but has now been extended to five years, reflecting its growing scope and impact.
The Khulna center will provide skill development training to more than 200 local fish farmers, promoting sustainable fish farming practices with the help of agricultural technology from the Netherlands.
One of the key techniques to be introduced is the Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS), which is compatible with farm systems and allows for fish farming in small ponds using modern farming methods.
Additionally, special exhibitions and training sessions will be held at the CoE to demonstrate the best practices and technologies in fish farming.
Other guests included vice president and board of directors of the Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association, senior officials of Gemcon Group, and representatives from various private organizations.
