Supply chain analysis of organic vegetable export from Bangladesh: Is contract farming a feasible solution?

Abstract

Purpose: This study attempted to find out whether the contract farming procedure in practice is capable of eradicating the hindrances in vegetable export and make Bangladesh a competitive performer in international market of fresh vegetables.
Methodology: Qualitative method was used to serve this purpose. The study is exploratory in nature. Data was collected from Solidaridad enlisted organic vegetable farmers, middleman and external facilitators through personal interview and focus group discussion.
Findings: Contract farming can be a feasible solution to increase vegetable export from Bangladesh as it eradicates many problems of traditional supply chain and at the same time maintains proper quality for export. To make this supply chain more effective government should provide financial, legal and technical support to farmers.
Implications: The study may help government and policy makers to have better understanding of this particular supply chain and enable them to introduce more effective policies for the betterment of the industry.
Originality/Value: Solidaridad is working with Bangladesh Government to introduce contract farming to local farmers and exporters and build a national framework to enhance international market share of Bangladeshi fruits and vegetables. No prior research had been conducted to measure the effectiveness of this contract based supply chain in Banglasdeh.