July 13, 2026
Rice remains central to Bangladesh’s food security, rural livelihoods, and agricultural economy. Yet, rice production continues to face pressure from labor shortages, rising production costs, and the need for timely crop establishment. Mechanized rice transplanting offers a promising solution, but scaling it successfully requires more than machinery. It requires trust, services, financing, skills, partnerships, and clear pathways for adoption.
To advance this goal, CIMMYT, under the CGIAR Scaling for Impact Initiative, organized the Innovation Packages and Scaling Readiness Workshop on Scaling Inclusive Rice Transplanting Mechanization Services in Bangladesh on 16 June 2026 at Dhaka. The workshop brought together government agencies, research institutions, machinery companies, financial institutions, development partners, machinery service providers, seedling entrepreneurs, and farmers to identify what is needed to expand mechanized rice transplanting services across the country.
The workshop opened with remarks from Owen Calvert, Country Representative, CIMMYT Bangladesh, who highlighted CGIAR and CIMMYT’s long standing contribution to agricultural development in Bangladesh. He reflected CIMMYT’s approach of working with public institutions, national research organizations, private sector partners, and market actors to connect research with practical solutions for farmers. He also noted the significant opportunity for rice transplanter services in Bangladesh, where most rice transplanting is still done manually.
DrTimothy J. Krupnik, Director, CGIAR Scaling for Impact, attended as Guest of Honor and emphasized the importance of using the workshop as a space for reflection, learning, and honest discussion. He encouraged participants to review current approaches, question assumptions, and identify what may need to change to make scaling efforts more effective. His remarks highlighted the value of bringing together people working across the rice transplanter ecosystem, from service provision and seedling production to machinery supply, research, and evidence generation.
Dr Md. Manjurul Kadir, Director and Acting Director General, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), also attended as Guest of Honor and reflected on the strong institutional relationship between BARI and CIMMYT in advancing agricultural research, innovation, and mechanization. The workshop was formally inaugurated by Md. Obaidur Rahman Mondal, Director, Field Service Wing, Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), who emphasized the importance of mechanized rice transplantation in addressing labor constraints and improving agricultural productivity.
Throughout the day, participants took part in plenary discussions, group exercises, innovation packaging sessions, readiness assessments, and collective reflection. Together, they identified one core innovation, inclusive rice transplanter mechanization services, along with nine enabling innovations needed to support wider adoption. These included awareness creation, farmer trust, mat type seedling and spare parts availability, access to finance, compatibility with existing farming systems, service provider capacity, gender equality and social inclusion, supportive policies, and stronger stakeholder coordination.
A key outcome of the workshop was the shared understanding that scaling rice transplanting mechanization requires an integrated package of solutions. Participants highlighted the need for practical field demonstrations, farmer meetings, success stories, digital platforms, service standards, after sales support, skilled operators, and locally available seedlings and spare parts. Access to suitable finance for machinery service providers and seedling entrepreneurs was also identified as critical for expanding service delivery.
The discussions also placed strong emphasis on inclusion. Women and youth were recognized as important actors in mechanization service delivery, particularly through mat type seedling enterprises, local entrepreneurship, and service provision. Participants identified the need for tailored training, finance, market linkages, and support systems that can help women and young entrepreneurs take part in the growth of mechanized rice transplanting services.
By bringing diverse stakeholders into a shared planning process, the workshop helped develop a practical roadmap for moving rice transplanting mechanization from readiness to wider use. As Bangladesh continues to modernize its rice production systems, CIMMYT and its partners are supporting the partnerships, knowledge, and enabling conditions needed to make mechanization more accessible, inclusive, and beneficial for farmers.
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