Agri ministry launches agricultural project
City Desk :
The Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and with financial support from the Gates Foundation, on Wednesday launched an astonishing agricultural project to modernise its agricultural sector and enhance sustainability, resilience, and productivity in the face of growing global and local challenges.
The “Technical Support to Sustainable and Resilient Investment towards Agriculture Sector Transformation Programme (AsTP)” was launched at a high-level inception workshop held at a city hotel, reports BSS.
The initiative, which falls under the government’s broader Agriculture Transformation Programme (ATP), is designed to catalyze systemic change through evidence-based planning, targeted regional investment and strengthened institutional capacity.
Endorsed by the Economic Relations Division of the government in March 2025 and approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in April 2025, the project will be implemented by FAO, with the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) serving as the lead executing agency.
Key collaborating government institutions include the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), and Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI). The project demonstrates strong strategic alignment with national agricultural priorities, such as the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 and the National Agriculture Policy 2018.
Agriculture Secretary Dr. Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian was present in the event as the chief guest while Anping Ye, Director, South-South and Triangular Cooperation Division, FAO Headquarters (HQ), Siddharth Chaturvedi, Senior Program Officer, Gates Foundation and Jiaoqun Shi, FAO representative in Bangladesh, joined it as special guests. With Dr. Nazmun Nahar Karim, Executive Chairman of BARC in the chair over 150 participants from government institutions, development partners, private sector entities, academia, and civil society organisations took part in the event.
Dr. Emdad Ullah Mian talked about Bangladesh’s priorities for its agricultural transformation in his remarks. He stated, “The AsTP project comes at a crucial time as Bangladesh redefines its agricultural priorities ahead of LDC graduation. It will help us align national policy with evidence, invest strategically, and empower institutions to deliver.”
