A 9-person delegation from Bangladeshi Ministry of Agriculture visited IWHR on July 23, 2015 and met with IWHR Chief Engineer Gao Zhanyi, former president of International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage.

Prof. Gao welcomed the delegates, and emphasized the important role efficient irrigation plays in increasing crop yield and safeguarding national food security in both China and Bangladesh due to the monsoon climate and the insufficient water resources per capita. He also gave a general picture of irrigation development in China, and said China, like most other Asian countries, needs to produce more food with less water, and IWHR is willing to enhance technical and academic exchange with the South Asian country.

Ms. Azizun Nahar, deputy chief of irrigation wing of Bangladesh’s planning commission, thanked IWHR for its hospitality. She briefed on the basic water picture of her country, including the challenges of river water allocation and sediment management as the population expanded and urbanization accelerated. Mohammed Monirul Islam, executive engineer and project engineer of Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation, said the Bangladeshi government is promoting a “green revolution,” hoping to uplift irrigation efficiency and develop green agriculture through surface irrigation development, groundwater protection and sediment treatment. One of the aims of the delegation is to learn advanced irrigation technology and experience from China and promote cooperation and exchange.

Prof. Li Yinong and Dr. Zhang Yanqun, both experts from IWHR’s Department of Irrigation and Drainage, then gave reports on the basic conditions of water and food in China, challenges facing agriculture and irrigation, development of micro irrigation, and the obstacles to further increase of irrigation efficiency and the development of efficient water-saving agriculture.

Discussions were also conducted on the cost control and input-output mechanism of micro irrigation, subsidy for agricultural irrigation, the most stringent water resources management system, promotion and sustainability of efficient irrigation technology and so on.

The delegation also paid a visit to IWHR’s Experimental Base of Efficient Irrigation in Daxing, one of the suburban district of Beijing.