The dominance of paddy wholesalers in the paddy supply chain of Bangladesh-A case study of Habiganj district

In Bangladesh, numerous paddy traders are involved in the supply chain, with paddy wholesalers playing a dominant role. This study investigates the declining influence of local village traders and the factors contributing to this shift. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a sem...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Junayed Uddin Ahmed, Maya Sultana
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Cogent Food & Agriculture
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311932.2025.2534220
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Summary:In Bangladesh, numerous paddy traders are involved in the supply chain, with paddy wholesalers playing a dominant role. This study investigates the declining influence of local village traders and the factors contributing to this shift. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire and simple random sampling. The sample included 128 farmers, 17 paddy wholesalers, and 3 local village traders. Descriptive statistics and t-tests were employed for analysis. Results show that most farmers sell paddy to wholesalers, who are full-time traders with access to shops, storage, labour, and transport. Wholesalers also provide credit, bags, and information, making them more attractive trade partners. In contrast, non-licensed village traders are seasonal, lacking infrastructure and resources. As a result, wholesalers dominate the paddy market. However, farmers struggle to profit from paddy sales and must pursue supplementary work to sustain livelihoods. In that case, a farmers’ agriculture cooperative society or introducing a government procurement system can help reduce traders’ dominance in the paddy supply chain and help farmers get high prices for paddy.
ISSN:2331-1932