BAPA trains 46,000-plus for agro-food jobs

Bangladesh Agro-Processors’ Association (BAPA) has equipped 46,056 individuals -- the majority of them women -- with job-oriented skills nationwide between October 2025 and August 2026.

The training covered food processing, baking, food preservation, packaging-machine operation, sales and retail to create pathways to jobs, entrepreneurship and self-employment, BAPA, a non-profit trade body representing food and agricultural processing companies, according to a press release.

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More than 7,000 trainees have joined PRAN Group concerns, while 556 joined Akij Group, 408 Meghna Group, 1,104 TK Group, 912 Bonoful and Kishwan Group, and 288 Hashem Foods.

Overall, 21,485 trainees have records of employment or self-employment.

Some others are working at agro-food processing enterprises under BAPA, it said.

Women accounted for 26,096, or almost 57 percent, of the trainees.

The programme, conducted in 1,919 batches under the enterprise-based training programme of the “Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation” project, also included 56 persons with disabilities and 558 members of ethnic minority communities.

The National Skills Development Authority has so far assessed 31,684 trainees, of whom 29,637 were judged eligible for jobs. The remaining trainees will also undergo assessment, according to BAPA.

Mahbub Anam, president of BAPA, said the programme had created a major opportunity to develop skilled workers for the country’s agro-food and food-processing industry.

“Almost 94 percent of the trainees assessed were found competent,” he said.

He added that the initiatives would continue to expand employment opportunities by strengthening links between BAPA member industries and relevant training institutions.

Training was provided at industrial and training centres in Narsingdi, Natore, Gazipur, Godagari, Habiganj, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Barishal, Chattogram, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Bogura and Pabna, among other hubs.

It combines classroom learning with hands-on industry experience in production processes, machinery use, workplace safety and quality control.