BARI hosts seminar, agricultural machinery exhibition at GAU
Asadullah Masum ,Kapasia (Gazipur)
A day-long seminar and agricultural machinery exhibition was held on Sunday at Gazipur Agricultural University (GAU), organized by the Farm Machinery and Postharvest Process Engineering (FMPE) Division of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI).
The programme was assisted by Gazipur Agricultural University.
Funded by the "Farm Machinery Technology Development for Profitable Crop Production (FMDP)" project, the event featured three key segments: a scientific seminar, a poster exhibition, and a demonstration of BARI-developed agricultural machinery.
The programme began at 9:30 a.m. at the universitys old auditorium with a seminar titled The Contribution of BARIs Agricultural Machinery in Promoting Mechanized Farming in Bangladesh.
The session was chaired by Dr. Md. Nurul Amin, Chief Scientific Officer and Project Director of FMDP. Prof Dr. GKM Mustafizur Rahman, Honorable Vice-Chancellor of Gazipur Agricultural University, attended as Chief Guest.
Prof Dr. M. Moynul Haque, Pro-Vice Chancellor was present as Guest of Honour.
Prof Dr. Md. Safiul Islam Afrad (Treasurer), Prof Dr. Md. Emdadul Haque (Dean, Faculty of Agricultural and Bioresources Engineering), and Prof Dr. Mohammad Saiful Alam, Director (Student Welfare) were present.
The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Muhammad Arshadul Hoque, Senior Scientific Officer at BARI, who presented comparative insights on mechanization and labor availability in Bangladesh.
He also highlighted various BARI-developed machines with video demonstrations of their field applications and benefits. Speakers throughout the seminar emphasized how BARI's innovative farm machinery, such as power tillers, automatic rice transplanters, weed control sprayers, and reapers are helping reduce labor dependency, minimize production costs, and promote sustainable farming. A highlight of the event was the Farm Mechanization Idea Competition, where students from different faculties presented six innovative poster ideas envisioning agricultural modernization in line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The top three ideas received cash prizes of Tk 15,000, Tk 10,000, and Tk 5,000, along with certificates of recognition.
In his address, Vice-Chancellor Dr. Rahman said, agricultural mechanization is not merely about applying technology, its about bringing smiles to farmers' faces. BARI is playing a pivotal role in advancing this vision.
He expressed hope that students will actively contribute to agricultural research at both national and international levels.
In closing remarks, Dr. Md. Nurul Amin shared that BARI has already developed 55 types of agricultural machinery and expressed optimism that university students will 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. The exhibition drew wide interest from faculty members and students.
