Why Bangladesh's farmers get half the price: the farm-to-retail gap explained

26 October 2026 · 2 min read · Krishoker Thikana desk

In July 2026 the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) published a study of ten essential foods, based on a survey of 820 traders across ten markets in the Dhaka division. Its central finding is simple: the longer the chain between farm and shop, the bigger the gap between what the farmer earns and what the consumer pays.

How big is the gap?

• Green chilli: the retail price is about 116% above the farm-gate price.
• Onion: 87%.
• Pulses: 78%.
• Brinjal: 72%.
• Medium-quality rice: farmers receive only 50.8% of the retail price.

Products with short supply chains, such as eggs, broiler chicken, beef and rui fish, rose much less, by between 10% and 25%.

What it looks like in the field

After Eid-ul-Azha in 2026, bottle gourds in Rajshahi fell from Tk 35–40 to about Tk 5 each, while the same gourds sold for Tk 65–70 in a Narsingdi market. In Rangpur, potatoes cost Tk 13–15 a kilo to grow but sold for Tk 7–9, and at times Tk 3–4.

Why it happens

The study points to layers of intermediaries (farias, beparis and aratdars), heavy dependence on urban wholesalers, weak market monitoring and too little cold storage. It also warns against blaming middlemen alone: supply shortages, production costs and hoarding all play a part.

What a farmer can do today

• Check the daily retail prices published by TCB and the Department of Agricultural Marketing before you sell, so you know the size of the gap.
• Call the Krishi Call Centre on 16123 for advice on when to sell and how to store.
• Sell together: a truck-sized lot from several farmers gets a better bid than one small lot.
• Plan harvests with neighbours so that everyone is not selling into the same glut.

The CPD recommends fewer layers between farmers and consumers, more competition in wholesale markets, better price transparency and investment in cold storage. A shared, public record of farm-gate prices, which this directory aims to build, is one step towards that transparency.