AgroTech in Bangladesh: Disrupting Traditional Agriculture Practices – Part I
Agriculture accounts for around 13.6% of the GDP of Bangladesh and employs about 40.6% of the total labor force of the country.[1] As technology has progressed, so has its uses in agriculture and this has brought about new winds of change in the sector. Although Bangladesh has been a bit late in adopting these changes, the country is gradually starting to see a rise in tech-based solutions for agriculture. These new agricultural practices are helping all relevant stakeholders in a multitude of ways. AgroTech in Bangladesh and its disruption in the Agricultural sector is highlighted.
The use of agro tech in Bangladesh can be divided into 5 broad sectors: Information Tech, Mechanization, Market linkages, Access to finance and Advanced Farming Techniques. Multiple companies in Bangladesh are operating in these market spaces with innovative solutions.
Name of Group
Core Functions
Companies and Technologies in this Space
Information-Based Agro Tech
Uses information to leverage better production and prices at both farmer and consumer ends
7676, e-Farmers’ Hub, Farmer Query System by mPower
Market Linkage
Connects consumers to certified farms to provide better produce
Parmeeda, KhaasFood, Fish Bangla
Mechanisation
Makes farming easier and less labour intensive
Tractors and other traditional tech, Seedling guns, New irrigation methods
Access to Finance
Makes funds available for farmers and transactions easier
iFarmer, digital and mobile financial services
Advanced Farming Techniques
Uses new techniques to increase farm profitability
Low-Cost Greenhouses, Hydroponic Farming
Figure: Different types of companies operating in the different segments
The first part of this series discusses information based and market linkage technologies.
Information-Based Agro Tech
The main purpose of companies working in this space is to make more information available for all relevant parties so that more yield and quality produce is ensured. This article breaks down how different companies operate in this space through a variety of offerings.
7676
7676 is one of the earliest agricultural helplines in Bangladesh. Although it was brought to the market by Banglalink, at present it has been branded as Krishibarta (27676) for Robi customers and Krishi Sheba (27676) for Grameenphone customers.[4]
It is easy to use and can be used by anyone with a cell phone connection by just calling up the helpline.
Stakeholder Benefits
The helpline is easily accessible to almost all farmers and does not require a smartphone. However as smartphones have gotten cheaper and more popular, new technological solutions are replacing phone call based services like 7676.
e-Farmers’ Hub
E- Farmers’ Hub is a digital platform created by Syngenta Foundation to help farmers and entrepreneurs keep track of agricultural inputs and outputs in real time. As of 2024, the project is working across 2,000 Farmers’ Hubs (FH) and has benefitted around 750,000 farming households so far. Owing to its success in Bangladesh, it is expanded to 6 African countries and Indonesia.[2]
Stakeholder Benefits
The owners can access real time profit-loss statements prepared by e-Famers’ hub services after inputting their invoices. This is combined with advice from the platform and enables owners to cut costs, reduce wastes and increase profits.
The owners receive market information through SMS and are able to get good prices for their produce
Buyers can use the platform to make purchases and get better produce at better prices
Farmer Query System by mPower
FQS (Farmer Query System) is a mobile app-based remote query system where farmers can ask for consultation from unbiased agricultural experts.[3]
Working Procedure
Image-based Consultation: The farmers send images via smartphones and the experts can provide accurate recommendations based on the provided information
Phone call and SMS-based services: Since connectivity is an issue, the farmers can get consultation through text messages and phone calls as well
Stakeholder Benefits
The farmers do not have to rely on intuition to solve crop problems and can get accurate advice for saving their produce
The experts now have added reach and are not forced to incur transportation costs during every trip for consultation
Market Linkage Technology
Getting fresh and authentic food has been one of the biggest concerns in Bangladesh for a long time, some companies have used that opportunity to directly deliver farm grown food to the consumers’ tables with guarantee of good agricultural practices.
Parmeeda
Parmeeda strives to deliver fresh organic produce directly to the consumer through their supply chain management system that has been built in collaboration with different producer bases. The orders can be placed through website and mobile application.
The platform has a large variety of offerings. The chief categories are:
Fish and Meat
Grain Oil and Spices
Fruits and Vegetables
Honey and Health Drink
Homemade
Dairy
Eco Products (Jute, betel and clay products)
Ayurveda
Although the platform offers a huge variety of products, there are user complaints about the prices being higher than the market which has led to some customer dissatisfaction.
Khaasfood
Khaasfood is an e-commerce platform coupled with a chain of brick-and-mortar stores that promises pure and safe food. It currently has 10 physical outlets including one in Chittagong and one in Cumilla. Khaasfood has a wide range of offerings with more focus on the grocery sector. Their chief products are:
Grocery
Honey
Pickles
Dry fish
Fruits
Tonic
Meat
All the packaged food including rice are branded under the Khaasfood brand and sold at their physical outlets too.
FishBangla
FishBangla is a business with an exclusive focus on the meat and fish market. Although they do not sell groceries, they do offer around 50 types of fish and different types of meat. Their offerings according to their website are:
Fish: River Fish, Sea fish and Fish Fillet
Meat: Beef, Mutton, Chicken and Duck
Services: The platform offers cutting services for fish to increase customer convenience.
The second part will focus on the remaining technology and the way forward for the sector.
Eqra Mohammad Resalat Ohee, Content Writer andFarah Hamud Khan, Senior Business Consultant & Project Manager, at LightCastle Partners, have prepared the write-up. For further clarifications, contact here: [email protected]
