AI to be used to stabilize economy, market: Commerce Minister

Commerce, Industries, Textiles and Jute Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir, MP, today said the government will introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to monitor the country’s market situation and help maintain price stability.

Speaking as the chief guest at a distribution programme of government assistance, award and materials at the Sylhet Sadar Upazila Auditorium this afternoon, the minister said the initiative would initially cover 30 highly sensitive commodities.

He said several government agencies are already working together to keep the market stable, adding that the AI-based system would go beyond tracking current prices.

“The integrated AI model will analyse commodity production, assess the possible impact of weather conditions on output and evaluate developments in international markets to generate comprehensive forecasts,” he said, adding that the model will be developed in coordination with several relevant ministries to strengthen market management and policy decisions.

Highlighting the government’s export strategy, Muktadir expressed his determination to establish Sylhet as one of the country’s leading vegetable export hubs.

He said nearly half of Bangladesh’s vegetable exporters are from Sylhet, but the sector has yet to realise its full potential because of inadequate packaging facilities and certification-related challenges.

To address these constraints, he said, the government is undertaking a special project through the Ministry of Agriculture under which farmers will receive training on scientific cultivation methods and traceability systems to ensure compliance with export standards.

The minister also announced that the government has decided to construct around 2,000 cold storage facilities across the country to preserve agricultural produce, with a significant number to be established in Sylhet.

Sylhet Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Khoshnur Rubaiyat chaired the programme.

Among others, Sylhet Development Authority Chairman Rezaul Hasan Qayes Lodhi, Sylhet City Corporation Administrator Abdul Kaiyum Chowdhury, Sylhet Zila Parishad Administrator Abul Kaher Chowdhury Shamim, Sylhet Metropolitan BNP General Secretary Imdad Hossain Chowdhury, Sylhet Sadar Upazila BNP President Abul Kashem and General Secretary Azizur Rahman addressed the function as special guests.

Jointly conducted by Family Planning Officer Abu Mansur Asjad and Agriculture Officer Md Saikat Jamil, the programme included distribution of grants from the minister’s discretionary fund, implementation of the Agriculture Office’s Partner Congress Programme, prize-giving ceremony of National Education Week-2026, distribution of wheelchairs among persons with disabilities, distribution of goat feed among members of disadvantaged small ethnic communities, and the inauguration of a tree plantation campaign under the government’s “25 Crore Trees in Five Years” initiative.

Later in the afternoon, the minister inaugurated the operation of a haematology analyser for CBC testing and the rabies vaccination programme at the 31-bed Khadimpara Hospital.