Bangladesh – Brunei met to foster knowledge of agriculture and livestock 

Bangladesh High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam Nahida Rahman Shumona moderated the virtual meeting.

Brunei’s delegation comprised 10 officials led by Acting Director of Agriculture and Agrifood Hajah Masliana Yuliah binti Abdullah.

The Bangladesh delegation was led by Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture Dr Md Abdur Rouf. Other participating members included Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture Tajkera Khatun, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) Crops Division Member Director Dr Md Aziz Zilani Chowdhury, Directorate of Agricultural Marketing Director (Research and ICT) Kazi Abdul Kalam, Department of Agricultural Extension Director Niruttan Kumar Sarkar, Dr M Baktear Hossain, Director, SAARC Agriculture Centre, and Dr Md Maniruzzaman, Principal Scientific Officer, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI).

Representative of Head of Statistic Management and Agriculture and Agrifood Incentive Scheme (SIPA), Brunei Darussalam Fatehah binti Haji Shamsul Bahrin delivered a presentation entitled ‘Business Opportunities in Agriculture and Agrifood Sectors’, illustrating the trends and developments in areas of agriculture and agrifood industry, livestock industry vegetables industry, fruit industry, floriculture industry, paddy industry and broiler industry of Brunei Darussalam.

Niruttam Kumar Sarkar presented on ‘Smart Farming and Digital Transformation in Bangladesh’, where he touched on the pivotal role of ICT in Bangladesh’s agriculture, climate smart agriculture techniques, technology driven production system, modern innovation and entrepreneurship, mechanised agriculture and modern rice varieties in Bangladesh. Dr Md Maniruzzaman presented on ‘Smart Farming Paddy Fields: High Yielding Varieties and Effective Irrigation Systems’ while Kazi Abdul Kalam shared ‘Smart Processing and Packaging Technology’.

The Bangladesh High Commissioner extended her invitation to the Bruneian side to visit Bangladesh and see firsthand the development that has come about in the agricultural sector and other areas under the leadership of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

She also emphasised on the export of Black Bengal Goat from Bangladesh to Brunei, a matter which she discussed previously with Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Apong.