The Farm Machinery and Postharvest Process Engineering Division of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute held a scientific seminar, a poster exhibition and a demonstration of BARI-developed agricultural machinery at Gazipur Agricultural University on Sunday.
With the assistance of Gazipur Agricultural University and funded by the Farm Machinery Technology Development for Profitable Crop Production project, the event began with a seminar titled The Contribution of BARI鈥檚 Agricultural Machinery in Promoting Mechanised Farming in Bangladesh at the university鈥檚 old auditorium, said a press release.
The seminar was chaired by Md Nurul Amin, chief scientific officer and project director of FMDP.
Professor GKM Mustafizur Rahman, vice-chancellor of Gazipur Agricultural University, attended as chief guest, with Professor M Moynul Haque, GAU pro-VC, as guest of honour at the seminar.
Mustafizur Rahman stated that agricultural mechanisation was not merely about applying technology, it鈥檚 about bringing smiles to farmers鈥� faces.
鈥楤ARI is playing a pivotal role in advancing this vision,鈥� he said, expressing hope that students would actively contribute to agricultural research at both national and international levels.
The keynote address was delivered by Muhammad Arshadul Hoque, senior scientific officer at BARI, who presented comparative insights on mechanisation and labour availability in Bangladesh.
His talk also highlighted various BARI-developed machines with video demonstrations of their field applications and benefits.
Other distinguished attendees included GAU treasurer Professor Md Safiul Islam Afrad, GAU agricultural and bioresources engineering faculty dean Professor Md Emdadul Haque and GAU Student Welfare director Professor Mohammad Saiful Alam.
Speakers throughout the seminar emphasised how BARI鈥檚 innovative farm machinery, such as power tillers, automatic rice transplanters, weed control sprayers and reapers are helping reduce labour dependency, minimise production costs and promote sustainable farming.
A highlight of the event was the 鈥榝arm mechanisation idea competition鈥�, where students from different faculties presented six innovative poster ideas envisioning agricultural modernisation in line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The top three ideas received prizes of Tk 15,000, 10,000 and 5,000, along with certificates of recognition.
In closing remarks, Md Nurul Amin shared that BARI had already developed 55 types of agricultural machinery and expressed optimism that university students would play a vital role in their dissemination across the country.
The event concluded with the formal inauguration of the BARI Agricultural Machinery Exhibition, led by the vice-chancellor, where attendees explored hands-on demonstrations of modern machinery.