SAARC Agricultural Information Centre (SAIC), Dhaka

SAIC, the first regional institution was established in Dhaka in 1988. SAIC serves to network relevant national information Centres in Member States with a view to exchanging regionally generated technical information to strengthen agricultural research and development activities. SAIC has brought out several publications, which contain information on agricultural institutions in SAARC countries as well as on fisheries, forestry, livestock and crops.

The publications completed by SAIC include: Directory of Agricultural Institutions, Directory of Agricultural Scientists and Technologists and Agricultural Periodicals of the SAARC Countries. It also completed a Bibliography of Women in Agriculture; and a Bibliography of Agro-forestry in the SAARC Region. It maintains databases respectively on Fish Diseases and on Potato Cultivation in the SAARC Region. It also publishes quarterly newsletter highlighting its activities.

The Seventeenth Meeting of the Governing Board held in Dhaka on 19-21 October 2003 reviewed, inter alia, status of implementation of the decisions of its Sixteenth Meeting, completed programmes of 2002 and 2003 as well as current and ongoing programmes for the financial year 2004. The Board prioritized new programmes for 2004 for implementation in case of delay in the approval of its report, which are

(i) Workshop on "Attempts and Successes of ICT Roadmap to Villages in the SAARC countries";

(ii) Continuing Professional Development Program;

(iii) Guide on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (GMAP);

(iv) A Hand book on Disease of Fishes and Crustaceans in the SAARC Region; and

(v) Production of Interactive Multi Media CDs (IMM CDROMs). It also prioritized the programme “SAICNet”, which will be taken up during 2005.

The Eighteenth Meeting of the Governing Board of SAIC is scheduled to be held on 3-5 October 2004 in Dhaka to be followed by the Workshop on “Attempts and Success of ICT Roadmap to Villages in the SAARC Countries on 6-8 October 2004 at SAIC, Dhaka.

For more information, please visit its website at www.saic-dhaka.org