বাংলাদেশ কৃষি গবেষণা কাউন্সিল

Workshop on Plant Introduction System in Bangladesh: Challenges, Opportunities and Way Forward

Moments of Technical Session of the workshop

The plant variety introduction, registration and release system plays a central role in ensuring sustainable food and nutrition security to meet the demands of the growing population and the challenges posed by climate change. Varieties developed or introduced through this system are evaluated through a structured process, registered and released. Hence, Crops Division of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) has taken the initiative to organize a day-long workshop titled ‘Plant Introduction System in Bangladesh: Challenges, Opportunities and Way Forward’ which was held on 24 June 2025, BARC. The main objective of this workshop to identify the background, current status, problems and way forward of the overall system of introduction, variety development, registration or release of various crops in Bangladesh. Dr. Nazmun Nahar Karim, Executive Chairman of BARC, chaired the program. The event was graced by the presence of the Chief Guest, Md. Abu Zubair Hossain Bablu, Additional Secretary, Research Wing, Ministry of Agriculture. Dr. Md. Abdus Salam, Member Director (Crops), BARC delivered the welcome address, extending warm greetings to the distinguished guests.

The keynote presentation was delivered by Prof. Dr. Nasrin Akter Ivy, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Gazipur Agricultural University, Gazipur, who provided a comprehensive overview of the Plant Introduction System in Bangladesh including its opportunities, challenges, and future directions. Her thorough Power Point presentation addressed a number of important topics, such as plant breeding techniques, the plant introduction system, its goals, its procedures, variety release and registration systems, various rules and regulations pertaining to the system, difficulties, and its future.

The chair Dr. Nazmun Nahar Karim, Executive Chairman of BARC, moderated the open discussion session. A vibrant and productive conversation was held with the active participation of scientists from several National Agricultural Research System (NARS) institutes, university professors, and representatives from government and non-government agricultural organizations. Four experts viz., Prof Dr. Lutfur Rahman, Former Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, BAU, Mymensingh; Dr. Md. Khairul Bashar, Former Director (Research) of BRRI, Gazipur, Shahjahan Seraj, Deputy, Plant Quarantine Wing, HSJI Airport, Dhaka and Anwar Faruque, Former Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture participated in the technical sessions to provide an overview and offer recommendations for additional development. In order to make the workshop effective and productive, the event ended with a summary of professional comments and suggestions for careful planning and robust institutional frameworks in plant introduction which can be a game-changer in ensuring food and nutritional security, agricultural resilience, and economic prosperity.