A discussion meeting was held today between PKSF and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) to identify potential areas of collaboration in developing Bangladesh’s agricultural sector, ensuring food security, creating employment opportunities, and promoting the expansion of agriculture-based enterprises and businesses.

The meeting, held at PKSF Bhaban-1 in Agargaon, Dhaka, was chaired by PKSF Managing Director Md Fazlul Kader. A delegation led by Owen Calvert, Country Representative of CIMMYT Bangladesh, presented the organization’s ongoing activities and key achievements in Bangladesh.

In its presentation, CIMMYT highlighted that it has been making significant contributions to agricultural research and development in Bangladesh for more than four decades. In particular, the organization has been engaged in a wide range of initiatives, including the development of improved germplasm, high-yielding and climate-resilient crop varieties, disease management, conservation agriculture (such as minimum- and zero-tillage farming), intercropping, reduction of post-harvest losses, farmer-led Living Libraries, carbon trading through Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) technology, the use of farmer-friendly mobile apps featuring automated weather forecasts, and the promotion of agricultural mechanization tailored to farmers’ needs. These initiatives have played an important role in increasing food grain production, improving farmers’ incomes, and making Bangladesh’s agriculture more resilient and sustainable.

Both PKSF and CIMMYT observed that there is considerable scope for collaboration in scaling up these important initiatives to improve farmers’ livelihoods, generate employment, and strengthen food and nutrition security in Bangladesh. In this regard, PKSF and CIMMYT expressed their commitment to jointly identify potential areas of cooperation and work together to promote sustainable agricultural development, thereby contributing to the country’s overall economic progress.