Canada and Bangladesh have enjoyed a strong partnership since diplomatic relations were established in the early 1970s following the latter’s 1971 war of independence.

Trade is a major part of that partnership and one that continues to grow alongside the Bangladesh economy, which is among the fastest growing in the world. Canada’s main exports to Bangladesh include cereals, pulses and fertilizer, which make it a high-priority trading partner for Saskatchewan — a major exporter of these and other commodities.

The Bangladesh government is keen to adopt new technologies and the country is making significant investments in its national infrastructure, including the launch of a 2041 strategy to achieve a food surplus in the country.

The GIFS-Bangladesh partnership seeks to build on the longstanding connection between the two countries and help both partners to achieve their future goals. The resulting outcomes will promote Canada and Saskatchewan’s trade and export goals, including the Province of Saskatchewan’s Growth Plan targets of increased trade and exports, while enhancing agricultural technology, research and production within Bangladesh.

Saskatchewan is a world-class centre for agriculture with one of the world’s strongest agri-science ecosystems. The province is home to both major agricultural companies and highly productive and innovative farmers, as well as GIFS, the Global Institute for Water Security (GIWS) and the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan, the National Research Council (NRC), Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre and Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI).

A partnership with Bangladesh extends Saskatchewan’s global impact even further — opening up avenues to promote the Province’s research and development strengths in agriculture, agri-food and technology.

By working collaboratively with various stakeholders, GIFS is driving an international and multilateral partnership truly designed to enhance relations, advance trade and deliver economic value for all jurisdictions.

The GIFS-BARC partnership will make use of the resources and expertise in the following Platform Technologies at GIFS, including:

• Omics and Precision Analytics Laboratory (OPAL) for genome sequencing and genotyping using state-of-the-art DNA sequencing machines, including short-read (Illumina) and long-read (PacBio and Oxford Nanopore) instruments.
• Cell Biology and Plant Growth Facilities for high-throughput production and phenotypic characterization of structured genetic plant populations in controlled environments.
• Data Management and Analytics for the efficient management, analysis and interpretation of large omics datasets for application in research projects and optimal selection in crop breeding programs.

Post-Doctoral and PhD Fellowships are supporting needs-based research and enhancing co-operation between Bangladesh and Canada in the fields of agricultural research and academia.

The initiative is supported by GIFS and the University of Saskatchewan, as well as the National Agricultural Research System Institutes in Bangladesh and BSMRAU.

Four Post-Doctoral Fellows (two from the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) and two from the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute BRRI) have already been selected to conduct research in both countries in the research areas of plant genomics and postharvest traits:

Hasina Khatun (BRRI)	Sharmistha Ghosal (BRRI)	Md. Nurul Amin (BARI)	Mynul Islam (BARI)

Platform Technologies to Enhance Crop Genetic Resources and Food Value Chains in Bangladesh (OFANS)

The OFANS project (Omics for Food and Nutritional Security – Platform Technologies to Enhance Crop Genetic Resources and Food Value Chains in Bangladesh) is a joint initiative between GIFS and BARC focusing on research and training in the thematic areas of:

• Plant Genomics and Phenomics for Breeding, and
• Postharvest Grain Handling and Food Processing.

The scope of the research areas in multiple crops represents a very large, long-term research endeavor. As part of this project, targeted activities are led in Saskatoon by Dr. Andrew Sharpe of GIFS and Dr. Pankaj Bhowmik at NRC.

The overarching goal of Plant Genomics and Phenomics for Breeding is research, technology transfer and innovation in plant genomics and phenomics for crop breeding, aiming to enhance resilience and add value in the pursuit of food and nutritional security, focusing on wheat, rice and lentil. The specific objectives of this thematic area are:

• Objective 1: Characterization of a core wheat biodiversity collection for wheat blast resistance.
• Objective 2: Characterization of rice genetic resources.
• Objective 3: Development of SB-resistance, heat tolerance and a transformation platform for lentil breeding (BARI, BINA, USask and GIFS).
• Objective 4: Establishing advanced and gender-balanced training program at graduate, Master’s, doctoral and post-doctoral levels between Bangladesh and Canada.

The overarching goal of Postharvest Grain Handling and Food Processing is research, technology transfer and innovation in postharvest handling and processing to reduce postharvest losses and improve quality in the value chain, including value-added processing in Bangladesh. Specific objectives of this thematic areas are:

• Objective 1: Formulation of rice-based foods supplemented with anthocyanin-enriched fermented rice bran.
• Objective 2: Development of a low-temperature paddy drying/storage system.
• Objective 3: Development of a novel technique to fortify lentils with multiple vitamins and minerals using hot extrusion technology (HET) in global and domestic markets.
• Objective 4: Design an online training module for postharvest food handling and processing in Bangladesh.

Concept drawing of the Bangabandhu-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Agriculture Technology Centre.

The creation of a new agricultural technology centre in Gazipur, Bangladesh, is an essential focus of the GIFS-Bangladesh partnership.

Inaugurated in 2023, the Bangabandhu-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Agriculture Technology Centre (BP-ATC) will run five thematic research and development programs to build research and training capacity in Bangladesh, develop innovative solutions to enhance food security in the country and aid technology transfer between Bangladesh and Canada.

Overall Objective

• To enhance sustainable food security in Bangladesh.

Purpose

• The BP-ATC aims to establish a new national capability and centre of excellence for “Agricultural Technology” for innovation, skill development, capacity development and deployment.

GIFS and other Saskatchewan and Canadian partners will lead the five thematic programs, listed below:

1. Genomics and phenomics for plant breeding for crop improvement.
   1. Focus on priority crops, including rice, wheat, corn, lentil and canola.
2. Soil health and quality for farm productivity.
3. Soil water regime and adaptation.
4. Postharvest food handling and processing.
5. Data management and analytics.

Bangladesh declared its independence from Pakistan in 1971. Canada was one of the first countries to recognize the country’s independence. Pierre Elliott Trudeau was the prime minister of Canada at the time. The name of the centre is the Government of Bangladesh’s recognition and appreciation of this history.

Several partners have joined GIFS-BARC initiatives within Bangladesh to help implement projects within the comprehensive plan.

These implementing partnerships are guided by strategic vision and comprehensive planning laid out in the memorandum of understanding signed by GIFS and BARC.

Implementing Partners in Canada

• College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan
• Global Institute for Water Security (GIWS), University of Saskatchewan
• National Research Council (NRC)
• Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre
• Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI)

Implementing Partners in Bangladesh

• Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU)
• Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI)
• Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI)
• Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute (BWMRI)
• Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA)

The joint effort of GIFS and BARC has successfully secured seed funding and pilot projects for several initiatives, including the Bangabandhu Research Chair in Food Security, OFANS project and BP-ATC.

These arrangements began with an idea to establish a Centre of Excellence in Bangladesh (BP-ATC) to support the Bangladesh National Research System Institutes. GIFS and the University of Saskatchewan ensured all technical support and GIFS and the Government of Bangladesh provided resources to get these initiatives started. The GIFS-BARC partnership is exploring other potential donors to join this effort as Funding Partners to support and accelerate the delivery of the partnership’s goals.

• Backgrounder: Bangabandhu-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Agriculture Technology Centre ○ PDF
• GIFS-BARC Partnership Strategic Goals • PDF
• GIFS-BARC Roadmap ○ PDF