AgroTech in Bangladesh: How Technology is 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 labour 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.

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

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 2018, the project is working across 45 Farmers’ Hubs (FH) and has benefitted around 30,000 farming households so far. Owing to its success in Bangladesh, it is soon to be expanded to Senegal.^[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

• The information collected also saves crops as it helps experts analyze diseases, threats of low production etc.

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

1. Image-based Consultation: The farmers send images via smartphones and the experts can provide accurate recommendations based on the provided information
2. 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:

1. Fish and Meat
2. Grain Oil and Spices
3. Fruits and Vegetables
4. Honey and Health Drink
5. Homemade
6. Dairy 
7. Eco Products (Jute, betel and clay products)
8. 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: 

1. Grocery
2. Honey
3. Pickles
4. Dry fish
5. Fruits
6. Tonic
7. 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:

1. Fish: River Fish, Sea fish and Fish Fillet
2. Meat: Beef, Mutton, Chicken and Duck
3. 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 and Farah Hamud Khan, Senior Business Consultant & Project Manager, at LightCastle Partners, have prepared the write-up. For further clarifications, contact here: [email protected]

References

• 1. GDP, Savings and Investment – Bangladesh Economic Review 2019
• 2. e-Farmers’ Hub – Syngenta Foundation
• 3. Farmer Query System – mPower
• 4. Banglalink Jigyasha 7676 won GSMA Asia Mobile Awards 2009 – Katalyst BD
• 5. Big time mechanization in farmers’ rescue – The Dhaka Tribune
• 6. Mechanization for Sustainable Agricultural Intensification in SAARC Region – SAC.org
• 7. iFarmer Website – iFarmer
• 8. Envisioning tech-and-data-driven agriculture in Bangladesh – The Financial Express
• 9. Advanced tech brings in farming revolution – The Daily Star
• 10. Digital 2020: Bangladesh – Datareportal