TBT DESK, Rajshahi: The Climate Resilient Agricultural Advancement in Barind (CRAAB) project, funded by HSBC and implemented by Sustainable Agriculture Foundation (SAF) Bangladesh, with co-implementation by DASCOH Foundation, is transforming the agricultural landscape by empowering farmers and enhancing rural livelihoods. A key success story is the establishment of direct, transparent market connections for mango farmers, ensuring fair prices and reducing dependence on middlemen.

Following successful linkages between Farmers’ Hub Owners and national/exporter-level traders, swift action was taken to operationalize these connections. Premium quality mangoes were collected from the field, undergoing a structured process of grading, weighing, and quality control at the hub level. This enabled immediate supply to contracted traders, setting in motion a promising model of direct farmer-to-market access.

Key Achievements from this Initiative:

• Initial Sale of 3,000+ Metric Tons of Mangoes: The first phase saw the successful collection and sale of over 3,000 MT of mangoes by 12 Farmers’ Hubs across Paba, Chapai Sadar, Niamatpur, and Patnitala.
• Increased Farmer Profitability:Farmers received an average selling price of BDT 45 per kg where the wholesale market average price was BDT 40 per kg. Farmers collectively make over BDT 15,000,000 extra profit than the wholesale market. This extra profit resulted from the effective sorting, grading, and packaging activities, guided by suggestions from CRAAB project staff. With a commission of 0.50 BDT/kg, Hub owners collectively generated over BDT 1,500,000 in profit.
• Strong Farmer Engagement: A total of 25 local mango growers actively participated in the collection and grading process, fostering ownership and skill development.
• Strategic Trader Partnerships: Six wholesale traders from three districts formalized procurement agreements, ensuring reliable market access.
• Efficient Infrastructure Setup: A temporary packing and loading station was established at the hub, streamlining logistics and post-harvest handling.
• Enhanced Transparency: Digital weighing scales and quality verification protocols ensured fair and transparent transactions for all parties.
• Expanded Urban Market Reach: Mangoes have already been successfully supplied to major markets in Dhaka and Chittagong, securing wider reach for Barind growers.

This effort marks a significant milestone for smallholder mango producers in the Barind region, providing access to better prices and a more reliable market system. The grading and packaging services provided by the hubs have also significantly improved product quality, leading to greater customer satisfaction and marketability.

CRAAB project officials emphasize that this success is just the beginning. Plans are underway to extend this direct market linkage model to other fruits and agricultural commodities. By fostering sustainable supply chain practices, the project envisions a more equitable and resilient agricultural economy for the Barind region.

This write-up was originally published in a Bangladeshi newspaper – The Bangladesh Today, dated 5 July, 2025. Here is the link- https://thebangladeshtoday.com/?p=29136