Bangladesh’s agriculture must now move “from volume to value”, with science, stronger national institutions and smarter investment at its core.
That was the shared message Sunday as policymakers, scientists, development partners and agribusiness leaders opened a two-day National Consultation on Emerging Needs and Strategic Investments for Sustainable & Resilient Agri-Food Systems in Bangladesh, organized by International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Bangladesh, at the BARC Auditorium.
The consultation comes at a turning point.
Demand for wheat and maize is rising with population growth, urbanization and a fast-growing feed industry, while climate change, new crop diseases, declining soil health and global supply shocks are putting farmers under pressure.
Participants are reviewing five decades of partnership and where the next investments can deliver most for farmers.
The results so far belong to Bangladesh’s research and extension system, with CIMMYT as a long-standing partner.
Of the 38 wheat varieties released in the country, 31 draw on CIMMYT breeding.
The blast-resistant, zinc-enriched Bari Gom 33 now covers 40–50% of the national wheat area, and a wheat blast early warning system developed with DAE and the Bangladesh Meteorological Department reaches more than 535,000 farmers and 5,800 DAE officers.
Maize, meanwhile, has become the country’s second-largest crop after rice.
“None can stop maize cultivation in Bangladesh; it has reached that stage,” said Md Manjurul Kadir, director general of Bari.
“For more than five decades, CIMMYT has worked side by side with Bangladesh’s scientists, extension workers and farmers, and the progress we see today belongs to our national partners. Our task now is to listen, and to align science, investment and partnerships with Bangladesh’s own priorities: nutritious food, healthy soils and resilience to climate shocks,” said Dyutiman Choudhary, country representative, CIMMYT Bangladesh, in his welcome address.
“Knowledge from research must reach the last mile, our farmers, in language they can use. This consultation should give us practical recommendations that link research, extension, farmers’ insurance and youth entrepreneurship, so that good ideas become policy action,” said Md Barad Hoddain Chowdhury, agriculture additional secretary.
“Healthy soils are the foundation of productive agriculture. Bangladesh needs investment across the whole value chain, stronger links among research, industry and farmers, and smart use of digital agriculture to build a truly resilient agrifood system,” said Prof GKM Mustafizur Rahman, vice chancellor, Gazipur Agricultural University.
Leaders of Barc, Bari, BWMRI and DAE commended the long partnership between the Government of Bangladesh, national research institutes and CIMMYT, and called for climate-resilient, high-yielding varieties, a stronger domestic seed system, including dual-purpose maize for grain and fodder, and closer links between research and the private sector.
Wais Kabir, former executive chairman of Barc, urged participants to defend science and invest in seed systems, cold chains, digital markets, and stronger extension.
CIMMYT scientists presented a 2050 outlook for wheat and maize demand and new tools such as doubled-haploid technology, which can cut the time to develop new maize lines from six to seven years to about one year.
Md Rafiqul Islam, director general of BRRI, chaired an afternoon session on crop variety development and seed systems.
Speakers from CIMMYT, BWMRI and Lal Teer Seed Limited explored a clear division of roles: public institutes generating and improving germplasm, and private companies bringing investment, multiplication and distribution at scale.
The discussion pointed to four areas worth exploring further: 1) access to public germplasm; 2) investing in domestic seed production; 3) strengthening private-sector capacity; and 4) stronger seed ecosystem.
First day’s deliberations rounded off with a development partners’ panel while the second and concluding day on Monday will cover areas like agronomy, mechanization, value chains and emerging technologies.
