An Operations-Based Approach for Introducing a Value Chain Framework in Foreign Trade Oriented Marketing of Bangladesh Agricultural Commodities and Services

Abstract

The idea behind a doctoral project for introducing Operations Approach in Agricultural Marketing for Bangladesh stems from a deep-rooted conviction in the statement that the life sustaining conditions in the whole of South Asia – especially in Bangladesh, are changing fast. What had started as a collective effort in reducing “artificiality” in production and marketing of agricultural commodities (and services) world over (particularly in the backdrop of a massive First World bottleneck for international markets), has morphed into something more vivacious and atrocious; something more corporate and branded; something more action oriented and future-focused. Changes induced by more intense geo-political alignments and greater mobility in most of the factors of production – except for land – have induced significant changes in the way business in agricultural products and services are conceived. Even land is conceived to be a factor or an input so long as it could be collateralized and taken in for contract farming solutions. As has been noted earlier in the proposal submitted on 25 September 2011, this project builds on the knowledge base created during the course of the MPhil program carried out under supervision of the current supervisor through the years 2005 – 2011. The research carried out under the MPhil program, titled, “Agricultural Subsidies: Impact Analysis and Combat Techniques for Bangladesh in the World Trade Organization”, aimed at putting together an appropriate country strategy for Bangladesh under different stipulations in WTO negotiations in Agricultural Subsidies under varied conditions of: (i) subsidies, (ii) tariffs, (iii) production inputs and (iv) market access parameters. For the baselines, it has already been stipulated that under differentiated and negatively distorted subsidies regimes prevalent in the World Trade Organization – which affect the patterns in flow of tradable goods and services world over, it could be implied that Bangladesh would lose out ‘financially’ if agricultural subsidies provided by the industrially developed countries are not “properly” addressed through the WTO for - (a) decisions of production and pricing of agricultural commodities in Bangladesh (export-oriented) ; (b) analysis of the impact of de-subsidized trade patterns in agricultural commodities (phase-wise; in the international market) on the domestic industrial output; (c) analysis of opportunities for Bangladeshi agricultural commodities in the international markets under different situational conditions.