Standard Chartered Bangladesh and BASA Foundation are collaborating to foster environmentally conscious agriculture and apiculture processes.
As part of a recently launched initiative, the two organisations will uplift local honey producers and create opportunities forentrepreneurs looking to sell and market honey-related products. By investing in apiculture – which is focused on increasing the local bee population – the Bank is playing a key role in safeguarding our nation’s agriculture sector, as bees are an essential part of the agricultural cycle. Understanding and protecting pollinators is key to supporting healthy ecosystems and sustainable agriculture.
The project will also boost nutrition status by adding honey and honey-based products to people’s diets. The Bank will contribute Tk 29 million to implement this joint project, and in doing so, will help to enhance food hygiene and safety; promote job and value creation; increase sustainable mechanisation; safeguard pollination; promote sustainable agriculture; and empower local actors with end-to-end support.This initiative between Standard Chartered and BASA Foundation focuses on three core goals. The first is to teach approximately 800 honey farmers – both new and old – about honey production, processing essentials, and maintenance of hygiene parameters.
Naser Ezaz Bijoy, Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Bangladesh, said, Apiculture investment not only fosters the growth of honeybee populations but also cultivates a flourishing impact on our nation’s agriculture sector by enhancing crop pollination, biodiversity, and overall agricultural productivity.
AKM Shirajul Islam, Executive Director, BASA Foundation, said, BASA Foundation has been working with beekeepers and associated entrepreneurs for the development of apiculture business cycle for the last two decades.
He said Apiculture activities have tremendous potential to maintain our ecosystem, increase agricultural production, improve of nutritional deficiency, strengthen the human immune system, and much more.
