Smallholder farmers in the north lose a fifth of their harvest before it reaches a buyer

Posted Jul 12, 2026, 1:19 PM

Farmers around Rangpur and Dinajpur grow vegetables and grains with no nearby cold storage or aggregation point, so produce is sold immediately to the first middleman at whatever price is offered, or it spoils. A crop that could fetch a fair price in Dhaka a week later is instead sold at a steep discount within days of harvest. Better storage, aggregation, or price information at the village level would let farmers hold out for a fair price instead of an emergency one.