Bangladeshi farmers now produce an ever-expanding variety of fruits, vegetables, meat and seafood, to satisfy growing demand from a burgeoning Bangladeshi middle class. Can they succeed in the export markets?
Bangladesh’s earnings from agricultural exports are a fraction of the $10 billion earned by Vietnam, or the $40 billion earned by India. For Bangladeshi farmers, the key is institutions that support the farmer, with inputs, training and knowledge. Specificity means that much of the knowledge useful to farmers in Bangladesh must be gathered in Bangladesh. This domain specific knowledge is the goal of scientists and bureaucrats at the nation’s research labs.
According to dhakatribune.com¸ domain-specific technology such as strawberries that can flourish in Rajshahi, comes not from local farmers or foreign suppliers, but from the labs at Dhaka University, Rajshahi University, Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture, and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute.