The government is planning to take projects for developing the agriculture sector under public-private partnerships (PPP) for the first time in order to grow more agro-entrepreneurs and reduce pressure on the state coffer, according to a decision of the agriculture ministry.

The ministry also aims to reduce post-harvest losses by increasing the number of storage facilities as well as ensure local manufacturing of various agricultural machinery through this initiative.

The agriculture ministry recently decided to ask private entrepreneurs to file their unsolicited proposals in this regard.

The agriculture ministry held a virtual meeting with various stakeholders, including from the private sector, on July 8 to discuss which projects should be taken under PPP arrangements.

Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque was present as chief guest of the meeting chaired by Agriculture Secretary Md Sayedul Islam.

The meeting decided to set up agriculture training centres, terminal markets, cold chain logistics, and agricultural machinery manufacturing and servicing stations.

In addition, they will take initiatives for molecular breeding, pesticide production and export, and seed production and export.

They also sought investments in agro-processing and to set up joint research programmes through PPP initiatives, as per a document from the agriculture ministry.

Agriculture Secretary Islam yesterday said they have already conducted two separate meetings in this regard.

"In the last meeting, we called all the stakeholders from different ministries and briefed them about our plans," he said.

"At first, we will submit our proposal to the Public Private Partnership Authority for consideration. If the proposals are viable, then they will go for tender issuing."

Private players at the meeting, who are related to the agro-processing industry and its exports, expressed their opinions about the initiative.

Parvez Saiful Islam, chief operating officer of Square Food and Beverage, said it is very important to build up basic infrastructures like cold storages to reduce fruit and vegetable losses.

He went on to say that cold chain logistics could be established in the northern region, where Square is interested to set up two cold chain centers in consultation with the agriculture ministry.

Alimus Sadat Choudhury, managing director of Alim Industries, said the necessary agricultural machinery could be made through PPP initiatives instead of importing them, which would help save a tremendous amount of foreign currency.

Echoing the same, Mahbub Anam, managing director of Lal Teer Seed Limited, said PPP initiatives for expanding local seed production would go a long way to reduce imports.

Md Waliullah, owner of Janata Engineering, said around 95 per cent of the agricultural machinery used in the country has to be imported and so, it is necessary to reduce this dependency.

Contacted, Muhammad Ibrahim, chief executive officer of the PPP Authority under the Prime Minister's Office, said the agriculture ministry is currently in the preliminary stages of forming PPP initiatives to this end.