PoultryTechBangladesh: Strengthening the Poultry Value Chain

On 1 April 2021, the launch of PoultryTechBangladesh has officially taken place. PoultryTechBangladesh is a public-private partnership comprising leading Dutch and Bangladeshi companies active in various parts of the poultry value chain. The partnership will strengthen business relationships between stakeholders active in the Dutch and Bangladeshi poultry value chain, resulting in increased trade, investment, and co-operations and contributing to a more competitive and sustainable poultry sector in Bangladesh.

Larive International and LightCastle Partners have been engaged as coordination partners for managing the multi-year project, funded by the Government of the Netherlands.

The Bangladeshi poultry sector: Turning challenges into opportunities.

With 167 MN inhabitants and an average annual GDP growth rate of >8% during the past decade, Bangladesh has been one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. This growth rate is mainly driven by increased consumption and infrastructural investments. Yet, the country has not realized its full potential to serve its domestic markets effectively and is vulnerable to price volatility. The Bangladeshi government has the ambition to address these challenges by increasing domestic sustainable food production, combating malnutrition, and boosting agro-food exports.

In line with increasing purchasing power and growth of its population, per capita consumption of poultry meat and eggs in Bangladesh is expected to increase by 34% and 49%, respectively, in the five coming years. Consequently, enormous capacity expansion in domestic poultry production and slaughtering and (further) processing activities will be required.

The Netherlands is internationally renowned for the responsible production of poultry products, innovation, and creating added value. Dutch policies and processes regarding food quality, product safety, and hygiene are considered the highest international standards. Dutch poultry sector players could therefore add significant value in developing a more competitive and responsible poultry sector in Bangladesh, while simultaneously turning current challenges into business opportunities for Dutch companies. 

PoultryTechBangladesh

The PoultryTechBangladesh partnership is committed to working together in strengthening the Bangladeshi poultry sector. Through collaborated efforts of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh, and leading Dutch and Bangladeshi parties, the consortium aims to increase productivity, biosecurity, knowledge levels, and share values about integer business practices. Simultaneously, it seeks to trigger and support entrepreneurship and stimulate Dutch–Bangladeshi trade.

PoultryTechBangladesh has been developed and is coordinated by Larive International and LightCastle Partners and includes ten companies and knowledge institutes: Aeres Training Centre International, Aftab Bahumukhi Farms, Hendrix Genetics, Kazi Farms, Marel Poultry, Mavitec, Nutreco, Royal Pas Reform and Van Aarsen. The initiative is co-funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Core activities of the partnership include conducting studies, demonstrating best practices, and transferring know-how via providing training programs and implementation of capacity-building activities. The partnership will establish a demonstration hatchery allowing to offer better quality Day-Old-Chicks, multiple model farms (breeders, broiler & layers), and a demonstration slaughterhouse and (further) processing facility.

Matthias Brienen, Director of Larive International and coordinator of the consortium:

“A growing group of middle-class Bangladeshi consumers, largely living in urban areas such as Dhaka and Chittagong, is increasing consciousness about food quality and safety and are changing their preference towards more protein-rich and value-added products, which is increasing demand for poultry meat and eggs in Bangladesh. PoultryTechBangladesh will support by introducing improved (more knowledge-intensive) production and processing systems and increasing the knowledge level of stakeholders in the poultry sector”.

Bas Blaauw, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh:

“The Netherlands Government is shifting its policy in Bangladesh from development cooperation towards economic cooperation. Dutch companies are urged to contribute to strengthening value chains in Bangladesh, for example, through public-private partnerships, notably in the field of food security. We are excited about the PoultryTechBangladesh initiative and confident that the involved parties will contribute to a more sustainable, inclusive, and responsible poultry sector in Bangladesh”. 

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For any questions about PoultryTechBangladesh, please contact Iris Boom at i[email protected]. In case of questions for the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh, please reach out to Monnujan Khanam ([email protected]).

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