Bangladesh should expand tech-driven agriculture: Shafiqul

The current government has placed high priority on agriculture, with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus emphasising the need for Bangladesh to expand technology-driven production following models like the Netherlands, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said today (29 November).

"The Netherlands, despite its size, exports $133 billion in farm goods each year, and Bangladesh can also double or even triple output on limited land, but higher production alone is not enough unless small farmers are protected," he said at a conference at the Cirdap auditorium in Dhaka.

Shafiqul said sudden surges in harvests often push prices down, leaving farmers without fair returns. "This is why small cold storage units, modern preservation systems, new markets, and export channels need to be developed at the village level," he said.

Agriculture, politics, and global trade are closely linked; for instance, during the China–US soybean dispute, Bangladesh imported soybeans from the United States, drawing a powerful US farm lobby to Bangladesh's favour – a new form of foreign policy engagement, he noted.

He added that China has expressed interest in large-scale investment in the jute sector, including joint ventures, technology transfer, and modern production facilities across the entire value chain. "If this interest materialises, we expect new jobs, higher export earnings, and stronger overall economic activity in Bangladesh's jute industry," he said.

He noted that traditional retting methods have discouraged farmers from continuing the practice, which has limited progress in jute diversification. "No one wants to do jute retting anymore because the old, labour-intensive process has reduced interest," he said. 

Chinese investors, he added, are interested in processing one million tonnes of jute in Bangladesh and producing biofertiliser, energy, and affordable plastic alternatives. With the right technology, jute could again capture a significant share of the global market.

Bangladesh now relies on the international market to meet a food deficit of 6–8 million tonnes, but global tensions – such as the Ukraine war, instability in the Middle East, or sudden export bans – can make imports difficult, he said. 

"For food security, strong reserves, adequate stock, and the capacity to import quickly are essential," he said.

He added that the country currently has the capacity to store 2 million tonnes of grain. "This should be increased to 5 million tonnes so that markets remain stable during global shocks," he said. 

He criticised the destruction of farmland through unplanned housing, saying village homes stand empty while agricultural land continues to shrink. Planned rural development is necessary to address this reality, he said.

Emphasising that Bangladesh's future is inseparable from agriculture, the press secretary said, "Whoever forms the next government, and whoever becomes policymaker, the goal must be food self-sufficiency, surplus production, and protection of farmland and farmers."

"We may not become the Netherlands, but with 10 years of focused effort, we can make significant progress," he added.

The four-day conference, titled "Investment in Agriculture and Food: Quality Agricultural Inputs, Processed Products, and Building Value Chains for Commercialisation," focused on political commitment in agriculture and food and was organised by the Bangladesh Agricultural Journalists Forum (BAJF).