The government is providing training to help young people become entrepreneurs by improving their agricultural product processing, business management skills and market access.
The initiative is being implemented in 208 upazilas across all 64 districts under a project of the Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) under the Ministry of Agriculture. So far, 6,875 people have received training, while the project aims to train around 7,000 more entrepreneurs this year.
The initiative is being implemented under the Programme on Agricultural and Rural Transformation for Nutrition, Entrepreneurship and Resilience in Bangladesh (PARTNER). Its objectives include creating entrepreneurs in various agriculture-based sectors, adding value to agricultural products, and expanding opportunities for processing and exports.
The project aims to ensure that women account for 60% of the entrepreneurs developed under the initiative, while men will make up the remaining 40%.
Project officials said training is being provided to develop entrepreneurs in various sectors, including agriculture, seeds, nurseries, mushrooms, vermicompost, jute products and dairy products. Alongside technical training, the initiative focuses on strengthening business skills, management knowledge and market linkages.
Dr Muhammad Abdullah Al Faruk, agency program director of the PARTNER-DAM component of the Department of Agricultural Marketing, said the initiative was underway in 208 upazilas across all 64 districts.
He said the training was designed to improve entrepreneurs' business management skills and connect them with markets.
After completing the training, entrepreneurs are also receiving incubation support, he said. Incubation support organisations are working to identify the challenges entrepreneurs face in running their businesses and help them find solutions.
The project also plans to provide financial assistance to trained entrepreneurs to purchase agricultural product processing equipment. Under the proposed arrangement, the project will subsidise 70% of the equipment costs, while entrepreneurs will bear the remaining 30%.
The support is expected to create opportunities for small entrepreneurs to launch and expand agricultural product processing businesses.
Another key objective of the project is to improve coordination among stakeholders involved in agricultural marketing. To this end, 767 Market Actors Business Schools have been established in different agricultural production areas under the Department of Agricultural Marketing. Of these, 227 focus on potatoes. The project plans to establish another 335 schools this year.
Dr Al Faruk said the schools were being established around the dominant agricultural products of particular areas.
The initiative brings farmers, traders, entrepreneurs, cold storage owners, transport operators and other market stakeholders under a common platform. This is expected to make it easier to identify challenges and opportunities in the supply chains of specific agricultural products, he said.
The project is also working to improve the value chains of potatoes, mangoes, jackfruits, tomatoes and aromatic rice.
It aims to strengthen coordination among stakeholders at different stages, from production and collection to storage, processing and marketing. Initiatives are also underway to form Value Chain Promotional Bodies for the five products.
Project officials said the guidelines for these bodies had already been approved by the ministry.
Meanwhile, Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammed Aminur Rashid has stressed the importance of research, innovation and modern technology in increasing productivity across agriculture-based sectors.
He said research, innovation and the development of a skilled workforce were essential to advancing the agriculture, fisheries and livestock sectors. The government aims to develop skilled human resources in agriculture through training, he added.
Abul Kalam Azad, the project's coordinator, said entrepreneurs could create employment opportunities for others while becoming self-reliant themselves.
Initiatives to develop entrepreneurs could play an important role in making agriculture a modern and respected profession, he added.
