Award-winning Bangladeshi journalist and activist explores collaboration with IRRI Communication

 Alaric Santiaguel   |  

Shykh Seraj is a Bangladeshi journalist, media personality, and agricultural development activist who has been promoting agricultural development in Bangladesh through electronic and print media for over 30 years. Seraj is credited with revolutionizing the agricultural sector of Bangladesh through television. He is also the founder of the first-ever Bengali satellite television station in Bangladesh.  

Seraj has received numerous accolades for his work, including the prestigious A.H. Boerma award from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization for his outstanding development journalism in the field of agriculture.

Seraj and other journalists from his network visited IRRI on 26 November to discuss possible collaborative media activities with the institute's communication unit.  

Seraj acknowledged what IRRI has done for the farmers of Bangladesh and offered to contribute to Rice Today magazine. 

Seraj also shared his strategy for popularizing developmental journalism in Bangladesh, including the use of social media. “Farmers are human beings so we make various programs for them that cover entertainment, health, culture, festivals, and others,” he said. 

During their visit, Seraj and his fellow journalists interviewed IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler, and Noel Magor, head of the Training Center, and Ruaraidh Sackville Hamilton, head of the T.T. Chang Genetics Resources Center and the International Rice Genebank.

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