A workshop on “Biodiversity of Pest and Beneficial Insects under Cotton Ecosystem in Bangladesh” was organized to consult about the current situation of insect pest problems in cotton with different stakeholders on March 30, 2022, at the Cotton Development Board
(CDB), Dhaka. This workshop was co-hosted by the Department of Entomology, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensingh and CDB, Dhaka. Mr. Md. Akhteruzzaman, Executive Director, CDB, and Dr. Andrew F. Roberts, CEO, AFSI were present as Chief Guest and Special Guest, respectively, at the workshop. The country coordinator of the SABP program, Prof. Dr. Rakha Hari Sarker, Department of Botany, University of Dhaka, along with Dr. Bhavneet Bajaj, Manager, Scientific Programs, AFSI, Prof. Dr. Aparna Islam, Brac University, and Mr. Sium Ahmed, Biosafety Officer, SABP were also in attendance at the workshop.

The Principal Investigator (PI) of the project, Prof. Dr. Mohammad Tofazzal Hossain Howlader, Department of Entomology, BAU presented the keynote paper and presided over the workshop. There were about 40 participants from different universities and research institutes, including BAU, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU), Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU), CDB, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), and Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC).

Participants noted the importance of this research project and provided different suggestions, such as the use of sticky and malaise traps for studying population dynamics, confirmation of the presence of different bollworms, jassids, and aphid insects, as well as different pollinators and beneficial insects present in a cotton field, for successful implementation of the research work. The PI of the project expressed his cordial thanks to CDB and all participants for their participation and lively discussion on the workshop topic.

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