Syngenta Bangladesh is committed to agricultural innovation, digital technology, and support for smallholder farmers across the country. The company is scaling climate-smart farming practices, expanding crop insurance access, and accelerating digital solutions to help farmers increase productivity and income. Mr. Alexander Berkovskiy, Regional Director for Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA), and Mr. Paul Luxton, Head of Asia, recently visited Bangladesh to engage with stakeholders and discuss the company's strategy for the country.
Speaking on Syngenta's approach to supporting smallholder farmers, Alex said agriculture in Bangladesh is undergoing a fundamental shift. "Mechanization is transforming how farming is done. To support this transition, we are offering harvester services through CENTRIGO™ a complete farmer ecosystem that connects farmers to credit, markets, advisory support, and agricultural solutions under one platform.
"CENTRIGO™ was established to address the services farmers most critically lack - from access to information and markets to financial support. "Misconceptions about crop insurance are still common in Bangladesh," Alex noted. "Our partnership with crop insurance providers gives farmers genuine confidence. Once a farmer receives compensation for a crop loss, their trust in the system changes entirely."
The platform integrates end-to-end solutions including financing through partner financial institutions, crop insurance, seed treatment, digital advisory services, telemedicine, and forward market linkages with institutional buyers - delivered through both physical and digital channels.
On the role of technology, Alex emphasized that digitalization and automation are key to boosting crop productivity while protecting the environment. These advancements allow farmers to spray more accurately, and more efficiently. As part of Syngenta's higher yield, lower impact goal, the company is actively introducing drone technology in agriculture - helping farmers do more with less, while reducing their environmental footprint.
Alex also highlighted Syngenta's collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh on climate-resilient farming, particularly in the salinity-affected coastal belt. "We are promoting saline-tolerant crop varieties developed by our partners and supporting water harvesting infrastructure so that coastal farmers can cultivate throughout the year. Our regenerative agriculture practices go beyond crop yields - they are about restoring the entire farming ecosystem."
He further noted Bangladesh's strategic importance for Syngenta. "Bangladesh is a key market for the company. We have already established local formulation facilities and are now exploring opportunities to export select products to neighbouring countries from Bangladesh."
Paul introduced Syngenta's digital agriculture platform for Bangladesh - CropWise Grower - a tool designed for all growers. "Through CropWise Grower, farmers can identify crop problems through image-based diagnosis, receive tailored recommendations, access localized weather forecasts to determine optimal spraying windows, and locate nearby Krishitey Syngenta retail franchises," he explained.
On the company's long-term direction in Bangladesh, Paul said, "we are not only market leader, we are impact leader - one that measurably improves farmer productivity, increases farmer income through higher yields, expands climate-smart practices across the country, and strengthens the overall farmer ecosystem."
Both Alex and Paul outlined a broader development agenda for Bangladesh's agricultural sector, calling for crop diversification, large-scale digitization, low-cost storage infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses, stable long-term agricultural policies, reduced cost of doing business, strengthened farmer partnerships built on transparency and shared growth, and incentives for sustainable farming practices to secure long-term food security.
They emphasized that crop insurance, market access, stewardship support, and innovative crop protection solutions are not aspirational goals but active areas where Syngenta is already delivering results on the ground in Bangladesh.
