Dutch tech can boost farm output of Bangladesh

Bangladesh needs a huge amount of Dutch investment and support of its superior technologies to boost productivity in agriculture, speakers told a summit yesterday.

Half of Bangladesh's population is engaged in agriculture, where there is scope for growth through the adoption of Dutch technologies, said FA Ansarey, managing director and chief executive officer of ACI Agribusiness.

He was addressing a session on agriculture and agri-food at "Bangladesh-Netherlands Investment Summit 2020" organised by the Bangladesh embassy in the northwest European country with support from the Dutch government.

Ansarey said the ACI was in joint collaborations with different organisations of the Netherlands to bring improvements in Bangladesh's agriculture sector.

Technology is a vital component, along with use of quality seeds, for Bangladesh's agriculture sector to increase production, he said.

Regarding quality seeds, he said ACI was providing that of the best quality to rural farmers which was contributing to ensure food safety and economic development.

Moderating the session, Bangladesh's ambassador, M Riaz Hamidullah, said the European technology was developing the country's agriculture sector.

A third of Bangladesh in size, the Netherlands exports more than $100 billion worth of food items to the global market. Its major agriculture-based exports include chili, tomato, cucumber and apple, he said.

Hamidullah emphasised private sector engagement in the entire sector for its development.

Rosalind Boschloo, manager for private sector development at state-run Netherlands Enterprise Agency, said the private sector was working to improve the agriculture sector with Dutch companies providing cooperation for development and adoption of technology.

She also emphasised building up a proper business environment for further economic growth of Bangladesh.

According to her, Bangladesh had a rapidly growing middle class which was set to be the next big potential consumers.

Bouke Hamminga, commercial director at industrial equipment supplier Royal Pas Reform, said his organisation has been providing agricultural machinery to Bangladesh since 2004, enabling the mechanisation of the agriculture sector.

He saw good potential for the sector's growth through utilisation of technology and innovation.

Maaike Groot, manager for public affairs at East West Seed, spoke of providing disease tolerant seeds based on the climate condition of Bangladesh.

She said they were helping to grow organic and genetically modified varieties for high productivity while some were even helping to fight climate challenges.

Ihtesam Shajahan, managing director of Quality Feeds, said Dutch technology could help Bangladesh make improvements in agricultural productivity.

He said there was lot of productivity left unused alongside wastage during harvest which could be avoided using technology. He also stressed the need for introducing modern technologies in dairy and fisheries.

A separate session on water and maritime and light engineering was held.