Dhaka, 18 August 2026: The Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), H.E. Md. Golam Sarwar, paid an official visit to the SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC) in Dhaka. He was accompanied by Mr. Tanvir Ahmad Torophder, Director (Agriculture, Rural Development and SAARC Development Fund), SAARC Secretariat.

The Secretary General was warmly welcomed by Dr. Md. Harunur Rashid, Director of SAC, and officials of the Centre. During the visit, SAC briefed the Secretary General on its ongoing activities, key achievements, regional programs, partnerships and proposed future initiatives in the field of agriculture and rural development in South Asia.

The meeting provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on strengthening the role and effectiveness of SAC in advancing regional cooperation in agriculture. The Secretary General appreciated the contributions of SAC to the SAARC process and emphasized the need for the Centre to further strengthen its engagement with the SAARC Member States.

He encouraged SAC to take proactive measures to enhance the participation and ownership of regional programs by Member States and to ensure that its activities respond effectively to regional priorities and emerging agricultural challenges.

H.E. the Secretary General also underscored the importance of expanding collaboration with relevant development partners, international organizations, technical agencies and other stakeholders. He encouraged SAC to mobilize partnerships, technical expertise and resources to complement its mandate and broaden the impact of its regional programs.

Emphasizing capacity development as an important area of regional cooperation, the Secretary General encouraged SAC to develop tailored and needs-based capacity-building programs that address the specific requirements of Member States while responding to shared regional challenges. He stressed that such programs should be practical, demand-driven and designed to generate tangible benefits for farmers, agricultural professionals and other stakeholders across South Asia.

The Secretary General further encouraged SAC to enhance networking, knowledge-sharing and technical cooperation among the SAARC Member States and to identify new areas of collaboration that could contribute to agricultural resilience, food and nutrition security, sustainable agricultural development and regional integration.

During the visit, H.E. Md. Golam Sarwar also unveiled the latest publication of the SAARC Agriculture Centre, titled Promotion of Regenerative Agriculture in SAARC Member States. The publication highlights the importance of regenerative agricultural practices and their potential contribution to sustainable and resilient food systems in the region.

The visit reaffirmed the important role of the SAARC Agriculture Centre as a regional platform for promoting agricultural cooperation, knowledge exchange, capacity development and collective action among the SAARC Member States.