The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have launched a project titled “Technical Support to Sustainable and Resilient Investment Towards Agriculture Sector Transformation Programme (AsTP)” and with financial support from the Gates Foundation,
The project was formally launched on Wednesday at a high-level inception workshop held at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon, Dhaka.
The initiative, which falls under the Government’s broader Agriculture Transformation Programme (ATP) is designed to catalyze systemic change through evidence-based planning, targeted regional investment, and strengthened institutional capacity.
Endorsed by the Economic Relations Division of the People's Republic of Bangladesh in March 2025 and approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in April 2025, the project will be implemented by FAO, with the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) serving as the lead executing agency.
The inception event was graced by Dr. Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, as Chief Guest while Anping Ye, Director, South-South and Triangular Cooperation Division, FAO Headquarters (HQ), Siddharth Chaturvedi, Senior Program Officer, Gates Foundation;and Jiaoqun Shi, FAO Representative in Bangladesh attended the event.
The event, chaired by Dr. Nazmun Nahar Karim, Executive Chairman of BARC, was also attended by 150 participants from government institutions, development partners, private sector entities, academia, and civil society organizations.
Dr. Emdad Ullah Mian, Secretary of MoA, talked about Bangladesh’s priorities for its agricultural transformation in his remarks.
He stated, “The AsTP project comes at a crucial time as Bangladesh redefines its agricultural priorities ahead of LDC graduation. It will help us align national policy with evidence, invest strategically, and empower institutions to deliver.”
Anping Ye, Director, South-South and Triangular Cooperation Division, FAO HQ, in his remarks, stated, “The AsTP project truly reflects the heart of what South-South and Triangular Cooperation Division stands for — mutual learning, co-creation, and adapting proven solutions to fit local realities.”
Jiaoqun Shi, FAO Representative in Bangladesh, emphasized on FAO’s continuous collaboration with the Government to achieve the anticipated agricultural transformation for the country.
