Nine journalists received the inaugural BARF Media Award 2025 in Dhaka for outstanding agriculture reporting, recognising excellence in agricultural journalism and encouraging stronger coverage of Bangladesh’s farming sector.
Nine Bangladeshi journalists have received the BARF Media Award 2025 in recognition of their outstanding reporting on agriculture, as organisers launched the award for the first time to promote excellence in agricultural journalism.
The winners were honoured on Thursday at a ceremony held at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) auditorium in Farmgate, Dhaka. They received crests, certificates and cheques during the event organised by the Bangladesh Agricultural Reporters Forum (BARF).
The award recipients are DM Nazmul Hossain, senior reporter at Jago News; Shahadat Hossain of The Business Standard; Saiful Masum of Ajker Patrika; Shahid Ahmed Sohag of Independent Television; Faruk Ahmad Arif of Pratidiner Bangladesh; Jahidur Rahman of Samakal; Ferdous Rahman of ATN News; Yasin Rahman of Jugantor; and Sajid Arafat of Ekhon Television.
Organisers said the award was introduced to recognise outstanding contributions to agricultural journalism and encourage greater reporting on the country’s agriculture sector. Journalists were invited to submit agricultural reports published in 2025 and judges selected the best nine entries from more than 100 submissions.
The programme was chaired by BARF President Rafiqul Islam Sabuj and moderated by General Secretary Kawsar Azam.
Among the guests were Dr Md Abdus Salam, executive chairman of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council; former Agriculture Secretary Anwar Faruk; Md Abdur Rahim, director general of the Department of Agricultural Extension; and agriculturist Mohammad Masum, president of the Bangladesh Seed Association.
Speakers also included Ahmed Iqbal Chowdhury, secretary general of the retired BCS Agriculture Cadre Association; Mainul Hasan Sohel, general secretary of the Dhaka Reporters Unity; fruit specialist Dr Mehedi Masud; and Dr Abu Noman Faruk, professor at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University.
The speakers said journalists play a vital role in highlighting the challenges, opportunities, innovations and real-life experiences of farmers across Bangladesh’s agriculture sector. They added that awards of this kind would encourage the next generation of journalists to produce higher-quality and more investigative reporting on agriculture.
