Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FBCCI) President Md Jashim Uddin today said skills development of
farmers should get priority to increase agricultural productivity and thus
reducing the cost of cultivation.

He also said Bangladesh has a lot of potentials in the agriculture sector and
now there is a need to move towards mechanization of agricultural production,
food processing, storage and testing.

The chief of the country’s apex trade body made this comment during a
preparatory meeting about the upcoming “Indo-Bangladesh Agri Mechanization
Summit (IBAM)” held at the FBCCI office, said a press release.

While presiding over the meeting, FBCCI vice president MA Momen said: “India
is one of the leading countries in the production of Agro-machineries. Their
skills and technology can contribute to the agricultural mechanization of
Bangladesh. In this regard, the IBAM will create an opportunity to develop
cooperation between the stakeholders of the both countries.”

Vice-president Amin Helaly said, “Agro-mechanization is a burning issue in
Bangladesh now. Mechanization in the post-harvesting period is more essential
here. Due to the labor crisis and poor processing capacity, a significant
number of crops are damaged at the farm-level. The summit will be the
knowledge-sharing hub for the local Agro-machinery manufacturers.”

The “Indo-Bangladesh Agri Mechanization Summit” will be held on the 27, 28,
and 29 of January 2023 at the International Convention City Bashundhara,
Dhaka in cooperation with FBCCI and the Indian High Commission, Dhaka.

While speaking about the Summit the Secretary of Tractor and Mechanization
Association (TMA) Atreyee Talapatra said that the Summit is going to be held
under the auspices of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and its
sister concern, the Tractor and Mechanization Association (TMA), India in
cooperation with FBCCI and the Indian High Commission, Dhaka.

The event aims to create agro-mechanized ecosystem in Bangladesh that in turn
will lead to increased food production.

FBCCI Director Dr. Ferdousi Begum said, “We don’t want to be just buyers of
Agro-equipment. We urge manufacturers to invest more in the agricultural
machineries sector.”

The agro-entrepreneurs urged the manufacturers to produce customized
equipment for farmers by considering the local farming culture.

FBCCI director MGR Nasir Majumder, Bijoy Kumar Kejriwal, Hafez Harun, Md.
Naser, the head of Bangladesh- Farm Equipment sector of the Mahindra and
Mahindra Company Sourabh Biswas, and distinguished guests were present, among
others, at the meeting.