Writer argues digital supply chains could bring fairer prices to Bangladesh farms

In a July 2026 opinion piece in Jagonews24, the writer argued that raising output is no longer enough for Bangladesh's agriculture: how quickly, safely and fairly produce reaches consumers matters as much. Citing population growth, climate change, rising costs and volatile markets, the writer proposed making the whole farm-to-consumer value chain technology-driven through a "digital supply chain".

As the writer described it, a digital supply chain is not just an online marketplace but an integrated system that makes every stage, from production and storage to transport, processing and marketing, transparent and accountable, using tools such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, big data, blockchain, remote sensing and digital payments. The benefits the piece listed were:

• Transparency and accountability: a digital record of every step shows who did what, when and where.
• Fair prices and market links: real-time price and demand data help farmers decide where to sell and link them directly with wholesalers, processors, supermarkets and exporters.
• Digital payments: mobile financial services and digital wallets reduce the risk of carrying cash and keep a record of every transaction.
• Demand forecasting and contract farming: market data make production plans more realistic, and digital contracts recording quality, price and delivery terms reduce disputes.
• Efficient use of inputs: data-based management cuts waste of fertiliser, water and pesticides.

The piece gave the example of a QR code on a mango: scanning it could show which farmer in which district grew it, when it was picked, what inputs were used and how it travelled. In the writer's view, traceability is now a key condition in export markets.

The Basics of Food Traceability, a guide published by the World Bank Group's IFC, cites the Codex Alimentarius Commission's definition: traceability is the ability to follow the movement of a food through specified stages of production, processing and distribution. The core EU law, the guide notes, is Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, whose Article 18 requires food businesses to follow a "one step back, one step forward" approach, identifying both the business that supplied a product and the business it was supplied to. The guide adds that traceability does not make food safe in itself; it is a tool for finding a problem's source quickly and recalling the product.

The writer argued that digitally monitored transport and cold storage can sharply cut losses of perishables such as fruit, vegetables, milk, fish and flowers. Globally, the Food and Agriculture Organization's The State of Food and Agriculture 2019 found that around 14 percent of the world's food, valued at about $400 billion a year, is lost after harvest and before it reaches retail.

Bangladesh figures were aired at a September 2025 dialogue in Dhaka organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), the Embassy of Denmark and the World Food Programme (WFP). According to The Daily Star, Farida Akhter, adviser to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, said the country suffers post-harvest losses of nearly 21 million tonnes a year. Dia Sanu, FAO's deputy representative, cited a recent FAO study that found losses of 17.8 percent for paddy, 17.6 percent for wheat and 17 to 32 percent for fruits and vegetables, with mango highest at 31.7 percent. Jesse Wood, WFP's deputy country director, said the agency had set up 62 aggregation centres in Cox's Bazar and 4 in Kurigram and was rolling out hermetic storage, mechanised drying and digital traceability tools to cut losses.

The writer acknowledged the obstacles: weak rural internet and digital infrastructure, farmers' limited technical skills, data security and poor coordination between institutions, which call for public-private partnership, skilled people and investment. The piece called for an integrated national digital agricultural supply chain ecosystem linking farmers, extension staff, researchers, technology and finance firms, logistics providers, processors, exporters and consumers on one platform. In the writer's view, future farming will compete not only on output but on safe food, fair prices and efficient, sustainable supply.

Photo: Jubair1985 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sources: Jagonews24, The Daily Star, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), IFC (World Bank Group)