‘Cooperative mechanisation needed for smart agriculture’

Agriculture secretary Wahida Akhter on Wednesday said farmers in the country face various challenges including the small size of their agricultural lands where large-scale technology is often not feasible.
Therefore, advancing mechanisation in agriculture requires a cooperative approach.
The comments were made at a seminar titled 'Role of mass media in implementation of smart agriculture,' organised by the Agricultural Information Service (AIS) at its auditorium in the city.
Wahida Akhter said the ministry's effectiveness hinges on promoting cooperative mechanisation.
She highlighted the importance of appreciation and constructive feedback for motivation and improvement of agricultural practices.
Akhter also said that 17 institutions under the agriculture ministry are actively working, and journalists often gather information from these sources.
She stressed the need for a designated place for journalists to obtain accurate and timely agricultural information, which AIS could provide.
She pointed out that many ministries lack organisations like AIS, which facilitate the dissemination of agricultural information and ensure a journalist-friendly environment.
Golam Iftekhar Mahmud, president of the Bangladesh Agricultural Journalists Forum (BAJF), said the reporters face hundreds of challenges to access information on the country's agricultural advancements and new technologies and their uses.
He called for a centralised information provision system within the ministry to address this issue.
During the seminar, Purabi Matin, head of culture and communication of the A2I Project, delivered the keynote address.
Director AIS Surajit Saha Roy chaired the event while Badal Chandra Biswas, director general of the Department of Agricultural Extension, spoke among others.
The session also included discussions by Rezaul Karim Siddique, anchor of Bangladesh Television's agricultural development programme 'Maati O Manush'.

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