CARE, HSBC Promote Sunflower Cultivation to Reduce Edible Oil Imports

CARE Bangladesh and HSBC Bangladesh hosted a national symposium titled "Unlocking the Potential of Sunflower Value Chains in the Coastal Saline Belt" to showcase the success of the SURJAMONI project.

Running from February 2024 to March 2026 in Satkhira's Tala and Kalaroa upazilas, the project demonstrated that sunflower is a viable and profitable crop for saline-prone regions, with the potential to boost domestic edible oil production.

The initiative empowered 1,580 farming households across 190 hectares, producing more than 450 metric tons of sunflower grain. By providing technical training, quality inputs, and market linkages, the project established a sustainable sunflower value chain.

The symposium reaffirmed a shared commitment among the government, the private sector, development partners, and community leaders to expand sunflower cultivation, strengthen climate resilience, and reduce Bangladesh's dependence on imported edible oil, says a press release.

"Success depends on building an entire value chain�"connecting farmers with inputs, mechanization, and markets," said Ram Das, Country Director of CARE Bangladesh.

Dr Rashida Ferdouse, NDC, Additional Secretary of the Administration Wing at the Ministry of Agriculture, attended the event as the chief guest. She said, "This project offers hope in addressing severe salinity challenges and has strong potential to be replicated in other regions through private-sector investment and stakeholder participation."

Representing HSBC Bangladesh, Chief Operating Officer Devesh Mathur said, "We are proud to see more than 1,500 households benefit from improved livelihoods and climate-smart agricultural practices."

Development partners also emphasized the need to scale up the model. Haruni Osman, Policy Advisor at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, called for supportive policy frameworks, while Martin Dawson, Development Counsellor and Deputy Development Director at the British High Commission in Dhaka, praised the project's "whole-of-society" approach and urged stakeholders to build on its success.