Gazipur Agricultural University (GAU) launched an initiative to accelerate crop breeding and enable year-round production through automation and controlled environment agriculture at a workshop held on 16 April.
The programme, held at the university’s old auditorium, was implemented under the Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) project, the university said.
The workshop, titled “Innovative Automation for Speed Breeding and Sustainable Year-Round Crop Production through Agricultural Research in Controlled Environment”, aims to integrate advanced automation technologies with controlled farming systems to shorten breeding cycles and improve productivity.
GAU Vice-Chancellor Professor GKM Mustafizur Rahman attended as chief guest, while Sub-project Manager Professor Mohammad Sharif Raihan presided over the session.
Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor M Moynul Haque and Treasurer Professor Md Safiul Islam Afrad joined as special guests.
Sincos Group Managing Director Nasik Akkas participated as an industry partner.
The event brought together representatives from Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), Lal Teer, Supreme Seed, ACI Seed, East-West Seed and Paramount Agro, alongside faculty members, researchers and students from GAU and other universities.
Associate Sub-project Manager Professor AKM Aminul Islam delivered the welcome address.
Professor Mohammad Sharif Raihan presented the keynote, outlining the project’s objectives, planned activities and future roadmap.
An interactive session led by the vice-chancellor followed, where participants discussed the project’s potential, challenges and opportunities to position GAU’s research at national and international levels.
“Technology-driven agricultural research is no longer optional but essential,” said GAU Vice-Chancellor Professor GKM Mustafizur Rahman.
He added that integrating automation with controlled environment agriculture would improve productivity, efficiency and climate resilience, contributing to food security.
Participants expressed a shared commitment to advancing the initiative through collaboration, knowledge exchange and strategic partnerships, the university said.
