Syngenta expands digital tools to support smallholder farmers

Syngenta Bangladesh is advancing agricultural sustainability and digital innovation by implementing climate-smart farming practices, expanding access to crop insurance, and deploying digital platforms to boost farmers' productivity and incomes nationwide.

Building on this momentum, the company reaffirmed its commitment to agricultural innovation, digital technology, and support for smallholder farmers across Bangladesh.

Alexander Berkovskiy, Regional Director for Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA), and Paul Luxton, Head of Asia, recently visited Bangladesh to engage with stakeholders and review Syngenta's strategic priorities for the country.

Addressing Syngenta's approach to supporting smallholder farmers, Alex said that agriculture in Bangladesh is undergoing a fundamental transformation.

"Mechanisation is reshaping the agricultural landscape. To support this transition, we are offering harvester services through CENTRIGO™ – a comprehensive farmer ecosystem that connects growers to credit, markets, advisory support, and agricultural solutions on a single platform," he said.

He added that CENTRIGO™ was established to address key service gaps for farmers, including access to information, markets, and financial resources.

"Misconceptions about crop insurance remain widespread in Bangladesh," he noted. "Our partnerships with insurance providers are building real confidence among farmers. Once compensation is paid for a crop loss, trust in the system shifts dramatically."

The platform delivers end-to-end solutions, including financing through partner institutions, crop insurance, seed treatment, digital advisory services, telemedicine, and forward market linkages with institutional buyers, via both physical and digital channels.

On the role of technology, Alex emphasised that digitalisation and automation are crucial to boosting crop productivity while safeguarding the environment.

He noted that these advancements help farmers apply inputs with greater accuracy and efficiency.

As part of Syngenta's higher-yield, lower-impact vision, the company is deploying drone technology in agriculture, helping farmers achieve more with less while minimising their environmental footprint.

Alex also highlighted Syngenta's collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh on climate-resilient farming, particularly in the salinity-affected coastal regions.

"We are promoting saline-tolerant crop varieties developed by our partners and supporting water-harvesting infrastructure to enable year-round cultivation in coastal areas. Our regenerative agriculture practices extend beyond yields, aiming to restore the entire farming ecosystem," he said.

He further underscored Bangladesh's strategic importance for Syngenta.

"Bangladesh is a key market for the company. We have established local formulation facilities and are now exploring export opportunities to neighbouring countries from Bangladesh," he said.

Paul introduced Syngenta's digital agriculture platform for Bangladesh, CropWise Grower, describing it as an inclusive tool for all growers.

"Through CropWise Grower, farmers can diagnose crop issues via image-based analysis, receive customised recommendations, access localised weather forecasts to determine optimal spraying windows, and locate nearby Krishitey Syngenta retail franchises," he explained.

On the company's long-term direction in Bangladesh, Paul said, "We are not only market leader, but also impact leader – measurably improving farmer productivity, raising incomes through higher yields, expanding climate-smart practices nationwide and strengthening the overall farmer ecosystem."

Together, Alex and Paul outlined a broad development agenda for Bangladesh's agricultural sector.

They called for crop diversification, large-scale digitalisation, low-cost storage infrastructure to cut post-harvest losses, stable long-term agricultural policies, lower costs of doing business, stronger farmer partnerships based on transparency and shared growth, and incentives for sustainable farming to secure long-term food security.

They emphasised that crop insurance, market access, stewardship support, and innovative crop protection solutions are active areas where Syngenta is already delivering results on the ground in Bangladesh.