RAJSHAHI, Nov 20, 2023 (BSS) - Existing manual-based agriculture will be transformed into smart and technology-dependent for boosting production as the government has been working in this field relentlessly.
 
The government, under the dynamic and prudent leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has given utmost importance to popularise agricultural technologies among farmers with a view to increasing crop production. 
 
Agriculture experts and extension officials made the observation while addressing a seminar titled "Smart Agriculture for building Smart Bangladesh" here today.
 
Regional office of Agriculture Information Services (AIS) organized the seminar at its conference hall discussing and devising ways and means on how to boost agricultural production through substantial and sustainable promotion of technologies.

Additional Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Shamsul Wadud addressed the seminar as chief guest while AIS Director Surajit Saha Roy was in the chair.

During his keynote presentation, Prof Muhammad Rokonuzzaman, Dean of Mechanical Engineering Faculty at Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, talked about the aspects of habituating the grassroots farmers with modern technologies.

He said various smart devices, including sensor Internet of Things (IoT) network, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Smart Water, nanotechnology, synthetic biology, 3-D printer, self-controlled tractor, genetics and internet of things, are going to be launched in agriculture.
 
The upcoming devices and technologies will contribute a lot towards building Smart Bangladesh through modernizing the agriculture, boosting farming outputs together with making the country self-reliant in agriculture.

Regional Director of Seed Certification Agency Dr Sheikh Ruhul Amin, DAE Deputy Director Mozder Hossain, Principal Scientific Officer of Fruit Research Station Dr Shafiqul Islam and AIS Regional Officer Abdullahil Kafi also spoke on the occasion.

Shamsul Wadud said the government has launched Khamari mobile App that contributes a lot towards building smart Bangladesh as it is very much effective in terms of digitizing the data and findings related to farming.
The App is time-fitting and need-oriented to the farmers and other beneficiaries. The farmers will get different kinds of information, including season-wise crops, land fertility, fertilizer recommendation, yield and seed through the App.
 
Apart from this, they will gather knowledge about crop zoning, crop diversification, crop production and farming technology.
 
As a whole, the App will bring a new horizon in the field of agriculture in future.