This is a best prospect industry sector for this country. Includes a market overview and trade data.
Last Published: 12/10/2018

Overview

A rising middle class (estimated at over 30 million) has fueled demand for high quality agriculture products.  According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), for FY 2014-15 (provisional estimate), crops, livestock, fisheries, and forest products account for about 16 percent of Bangladesh’s total GDP and employs approximately 47 percent of the total population.  Most agricultural production in Bangladesh is characterized by traditional subsistence farming.  Bangladesh produces a variety of agricultural products such as rice, wheat, corn, legumes, fruits, vegetables, chicken meat, fish, and seafood.  Rice is considered the main staple in the Bangladeshi diet.  Less arable land and limited natural resources increase the importance of developing new agricultural technologies, such as salt tolerant or submergence tolerant seed varieties, to help increase productivity for future demand needs.  Strikes, floods, cyclones, and drought also can affect agricultural productivity levels and incomes.

Although Bangladesh imports bulk commodities such as wheat and rice, there are niche segment opportunities for high-value agricultural product imports, particularly in more affluent urban centers like Dhaka and Chittagong.  Strong consumer demand exists for imported fresh fruits, as well as processed food products.

 

2015

2016

2017 (Estimated)

Total Local Production

$28,365

$30,424

$32,000

Total Exports

$1619

$1,602

$1650

Total Imports

$6653

$6,594

$6500

Imports from the US
 

$494

$496

N/A

Total Market Size

$33,398

$35,415

$36,850

Exchange Rates

N/A

N/A

N/A

($US Millions; total market size = (total local production + imports) - exports)

Leading Sub-Sectors

The processed food industry accounts for approximately 12.3 percent of all manufacturing production value and employs six percent of the manufacturing labor force.  The industry employs two percent of the country’s total labor force and its share of GDP was seven percent in 2012-13.  The sector is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises strongly linked to local production.  There are nearly 246 medium-sized food manufacturing enterprises in the country processing baked goods, confectionery items, fruits and vegetables, cereals, dairy goods, fruit juices, and various other foods and beverages. 

The food and beverage sector in Bangladesh has an estimated annual value of gross domestic production of $8.3 billion. 

Opportunities

Agriculture equipment and technology; Agriculture inputs, including feed, seeds, and fertilizer; Dairy processing equipment; Fish processing equipment; Canning equipment and technology;  Agriculture infrastructure consulting services and solutions, including silos and cold storage facilities.

Web Resources

Ministry of Agriculture
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council
Food and Agriculture Organization
Ministry of Food
Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries
Ministry of Textile and Jute
Ministry of Commerce

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