StanChart, Channel i to present Agrow Award finale in April

Standard Chartered and Channel i will present the finale of the ninth edition of the Standard Chartered-Channel i Agrow Award in April.

The programme, which has been around since 2014, recognises and honours the trailblazers making a difference across the nation’s agriculture sector. So far, a total of 66 awardees have been recognised for their landmark achievements and efforts, according to a press release.

This year’s programme was launched in November of 2023. Since then, 415 pitches have been submitted. Following the close of the submission period, a specialised research agency was dispatched to analyse, assess, and shortlist submissions. The shortlisted entries have been rigorously evaluated by a distinguished Jury Board, consisting of local and international specialists, academics, and industry leaders.

The Jury Board for the ninth Agrow Award was chaired by Shykh Seraj, director and head of News, Channel i. Members of the Jury Board included: Dr Atiur Rahman, former governor, Bangladesh Bank; Dr Shamsul Alam, agricultural economist and former state minister for planning; Dr Shaikh Mohammad Bokhtiar, executive chairman, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC); Dr Md Shahjahan Kabir, director general, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI); Zakia Naznin, senior technical lead, Climate Change, WINROCK International; and Dr Gautam Buddha Das, former vice chancellor, Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU).

Naser Ezaz Bijoy, Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Bangladesh, said,“This is our ninth iteration of the Agrow Award, and the fifth time we are hosting in collaboration with Channel i.As one ofthe most climate vulnerable countries, it is predicted that our nation will feel the potential impacts of global warming, changing temperatures, and sea level rise through immense effects on crops, soils, weeds, and diseases. The Agrow Award programme highlights the incredible ways our farmers and agriculturalists are rising to the occasion and makinga difference by centring sustainability and resilience.In a country where agriculture makes up every second livelihood, Standard Chartered is proud torecognise creative responses to climate change; methods that meet increasing food and nutrition demands; processes that supplement value chains; and changesthat impact both homestead and commercial agricultural operations.”