Korean and Bangladeshi scientists are working in joint project to promote modern farm machinery, research capacity and a cold-tolerant rice variety.
Korean International Cooperation Agency (Koica) is providing the necessary support in this regard.
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has already been provided with a number of facilities for carry out the project work.
A rice-breeding laboratory (molecular laboratory) and cold-tolerant rice screening protocols, manual carrier, harvesting machines, weeder, rice mill, seeding and crop-cutting machines have been provided to the BRRI.
A modern research building has been built on the Farm Machinery and Postharvest Technology Division premises at BRRI in Gazipur to facilitate the project work.
The detail of the project were presented at the concluding day of a seminar on the Koica-assisted project held in the BRRI auditorium Monday.
Md Anwarul Islam Sikder, additional secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, was present at the seminar as the chief guest while Korean Counsellor and Deputy Chief of mission to Bangladesh Kim Hyun-Joo as the guest of honour and Koica Resident Representative Kim Bok-Hee as special guest.
BRRI Director General Dr Md Syedul Islam was in the chair. Principal Scientific Officers of Farm Machinery and Postharvest Technology Division of BRRI Dr Md Durrul Huda and Dr Partha Sarathi Biswas of BRRI Plant Breeding Division presented keynote speeches at the seminar.
Korean mechanisation specialist Hakkyu Kim also presented a paper on agricultural machinery.
Scientists, extension agents, experts and university professors from different institutes were among the representatives that attended the workshop.
Scientists and BRRI officers had already received training in Korea about the related technologies.
BRRI Director General Dr Md Saidul Islam said the use of modern machinery in agriculture was the demand of modern time, and to fulfill that demand, scientists of Korea and Bangladesh had been working together.
A number of screenings had been done to develop a cold-tolerant rice variety and it was very likely that it would usher in developing farm machinery in the country, added the director.
