Bangladesh has sought technical cooperation and investment from the Netherlands in four priority sectors of agricultural processing, cold storage and post-harvest management, climate smart agriculture and irrigation management.
Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzak made the call at the event titled "The Netherlands Agri Trade Mission to Bangladesh" organised by the Netherlands Embassy in a hotel in Gulshan in the capital on Tuesday.
The Embassy of the Netherlands is hosting an agri trade mission aimed at promoting bilateral cooperation between the Netherlands and Bangladesh in the dairy and horticulture sectors. During this three-day long mission, 9 companies/institutions from the Netherlands will interact with Bangladeshi businessmen, entrepreneurs, experts and people related to agriculture and identify areas of investment and cooperation.
The agriculture minister said that an investment plan has been made prioritising four sectors. These sectors need technical and investment assistance from the Netherlands.
Naser Ezaz Bijoy, president of the Foreign Investment Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and chief executive officer of Standard Chartered Bank presented the keynote speech at the event.
Naser Ezaz Bijoy said the food processing industry in Bangladesh is worth $7 billion and has a good export potential. Bangladesh's exports of agriculture and agricultural products amount to $1.7 billion and imports amount to $8.3 billion. There is scope for more planning and action to increase exports.
He called upon the business associations to work together to foster the environment for trade. He also expressed the need to extend financial services for the dairy and horticulture producers.
During the main speech he said, non-government entities can help establish cooperatives which can purchase farming equipment and share resources among members, high yield crops including vegetables legumes and soy can be introduced, a key ingredient for animal feed. Seed varieties need to be developed for import substitution and export diversification.
Besides, it also highlighted that the Netherlands has opportunities for cooperation in soil nutrients, drip irrigation, and digital agri advisory.
Lokman Hossain Miah, executive chairman (Senior Secretary) of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) said, one stop service center of BIDA and its other services target to meet the needs of the foreign investors in Bangladesh.
Thijs Woudstra, Chargés d'affaires, Embassy of the Netherlands said, Trade Mission confirms the results of market studies which show a great potential for Trade and Investment between Netherlands companies and Bangladeshi companies.
"The great potential for Bangladesh to develop its agricultural sector in combination with the Dutch expertise and quality products offers a strong basis for Bangladesh-Dutch cooperation. We do feel that there is a win-win position for Bangladeshi and Dutch entrepreneurs, as well as for both countries, in working together to further develop agricultural production and exports in Bangladesh", stated Anne van Leeuwen, the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Bangladesh.
The focus of this event, organised by the embassy, was to bring together businesses in the dairy and horticulture sectors, including meat production, open and covered cultivation, potatoes, and flowers, and encourage knowledge sharing on emerging trends and advancements.
