Bangladesh Sugarcrop Research Institute (BSRI) Director General Dr Kabir Uddin Ahmed has said that large-scale employment can be created by developing entrepreneurs from among the July warriors in newly innovated and promising sectors of sugarcrops, including coconut-based products.
He made the remarks while inaugurating a training programme aimed at encouraging young people to become entrepreneurs by promoting various technologies developed by BSRI, on the occasion of Youth Festival 2025 in Thakurgaon.
The training programme, titled “Honey Production Techniques and Healthy Granular Molasses Production and Storage Techniques for Young Entrepreneurs”, was organised by the BSRI Thakurgaon Regional Centre. Dr Ahmed attended the event as the chief guest.
Dr Ahmed said that at the initial stage of its research activities, the Sugarcrop Research Institute focused primarily on sugar production from sugarcane. However, enriched by advanced international concepts, its activities have now expanded to include research on palm, date palm, nipa palm, stevia, peanuts, coconut and even grapes.
He added that the production of healthy sugar from stevia, free from the harmful effects of refined white sugar, is now being prioritised in the country. He noted that just as sugar-type products are produced by extracting sap from date palm and palmyra palm, high-quality jaggery can also be produced by extracting sap from coconuts, which has significant demand in the international market.
Highlighting the importance of these new initiatives, Dr Ahmed said that as part of Youth Festival 2025, the training programme aims to develop 300 entrepreneurs from among the July warriors by focusing on these emerging sectors.
Referring to the Thakurgaon Regional Centre’s programme as BSRI’s tenth training initiative nationwide, Dr Ahmed said that the training of 300 new entrepreneurs is being completed through this programme, which is expected to become a strong source of foreign currency earnings for the country in the future.
The event was chaired by Dr Md Sohrab Hossain, Chief Scientific Officer and Station In-Charge of BSRI’s Thakurgaon Regional Centre. Special guests included BSRI Director (Research) Dr Md Ataur Rahman and Director (TOT) Dr Selina Akhter, among others.
