The mounting importance of agribusiness study in Bangladesh

Although agribusiness education came out during 1960’s at Harvard Business School in America, the study and practice of agribusiness in Bangladesh has evolved significantly at the beginning of twenty first century

Agribusiness has held up a large share of business niche. The volume of agribusiness is flourishing day-by-day. Agribusiness is not mere a business rather it is an useful tool for ensuring food security throughout the world and all sorts of basic needs as most of the basic requirements are filled up directly or indirectly with agro products. In near future agribusiness will be the central metaphor of business system for not only in our country but also to the whole world. Hence the study of agribusiness is a demand of time as well-developed knowledge system in this field will ensure the early acquisition of goal. We may not overlook that Bangladesh is an agrarian country and still we are vastly depended upon agriculture though service sector has been advanced a lot during last few decades. Agriculture plays a pivotal role in our national economy. According to Bangladesh Economic Review (2016), the broad agriculture sector accounts for 15.33% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 45.10% of the labor force in Bangladesh. So the necessity of learning agriculture cannot be described in words. But whenever the concept of business is applied to the agricultural sector, the term of agribusiness is come into sight. The term agribusiness coined first in 1957 by Goldberg and Davis which covers the supply of agricultural inputs, the production, processing, packaging and transformation of agricultural products and their final distribution to the consumers. It is the industry of cereal, pulse, jute, cotton, garments, paper, leather, fertilizer, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, tea, salt, sugar, edible oils, soap and detergent, electricity, natural gas and so on.

Although agribusiness education came out during 1960’s at Harvard Business School in America, the study and practice of agribusiness in Bangladesh has evolved significantly at the beginning of twenty first century. It has to be noted that the concept of agribusiness education in Bangladesh first came into view at a private university named Atish Dipankar University of Science & Technology (ADUST) as the pioneer of agribusiness education. The university has first introduced the course curriculum in agribusiness education for tertiary level in Bangladesh. However, today few public universities have also started to conduct the same program in their institutions. The job market of Bangladesh is very critical and highly competitive. There are few disciplines that have specific job in their fields. As a result, huge number of eligible graduates in Bangladesh becomes unemployed at the initial stage of their career. In order to ameliorate this problem agribusiness education creates a new dimension in the job-market which is planned to meet the agribusiness industry’s demands for professionals and entrepreneurs who have the educational background to become successful decision-makers in the rapidly changing agribusiness world.
Bangladesh has enormous openings in agro-based industries because of several factors such as higher productivity of agricultural products, availability of seeds and pesticides, lower labor costs etc. Agribusiness career can cross into a large number of industries including farming, animal husbandry, poultry, real estate, retail marketing, investments, and food processing or packaging. Furthermore, an agribusiness graduate may deal with the producers, farm managers, farm appraisers, grain or livestock buyers, market analysts, agricultural policy analysts and researchers by which they may get a competitive advantage in the market.
Bangladesh has a positive agro-climatic zone, which is perfect for producing many kinds of agro-products with different high value agricultural products such as Jam-jelly, shrimp, sea food, fruits and vegetables that have a huge demand locally and internationally. To cope with the international business environment especially for the import and export of different agro-products, it is most preferable to have knowledge in agribusiness. For this, many agro-based multinational companies has disclosed agribusiness department for creating suitable business environment in national and international market.
According to BM Sajjad Hossain, a supply chain expert, ‘taking the consideration of food security for human being sufficient production, easy access and proper distribution of agro-products throughout the third world countries are highly remarkable topic today. So in reaching the goal of this field, agribusiness education can be the most important team player among all the tools’. As an agrarian country Bangladesh has none but this option before. Moreover, the flourishing of agribusiness education may ensure the sustainable balanced development of any developing countries like Bangladesh, India etc. Nonetheless Bangladesh is in abject condition. It is a matter of optimism that wind is changing to zephyr. Some institutions have come forward in this sector. In fact, nowadays Bangladesh government is also getting interested to promote agro-based industries in special economic zone and sub-urban areas. It will help to become a middle income country within time-frame. Hence we may expect to have the momentum the better.

The writer teaches Agribusiness at Atish Dipankar University of Science & Technology, Banani, Dhaka. Email: [email protected]

 

 

The mounting importance of agribusiness study in Bangladesh

Although agribusiness education came out during 1960s at Harvard Business School in America, the study and practice of agribusiness in Bangladesh has evolved significantly at the beginning of twenty first century

Agribusiness has held up a large share of business niche. The volume of agribusiness is flourishing day-by-day. Agribusiness is not mere a business rather it is an useful tool for ensuring food security throughout the world and all sorts of basic needs as most of the basic requirements are filled up directly or indirectly with agro products. In near future agribusiness will be the central metaphor of business system for not only in our country but also to the whole world. Hence the study of agribusiness is a demand of time as well-developed knowledge system in this field will ensure the early acquisition of goal. We may not overlook that Bangladesh is an agrarian country and still we are vastly depended upon agriculture though service sector has been advanced a lot during last few decades. Agriculture plays a pivotal role in our national economy. According to Bangladesh Economic Review (2016), the broad agriculture sector accounts for 15.33% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 45.10% of the labor force in Bangladesh. So the necessity of learning agriculture cannot be described in words. But whenever the concept of business is applied to the agricultural sector, the term of agribusiness is come into sight. The term agribusiness coined first in 1957 by Goldberg and Davis which covers the supply of agricultural inputs, the production, processing, packaging and transformation of agricultural products and their final distribution to the consumers. It is the industry of cereal, pulse, jute, cotton, garments, paper, leather, fertilizer, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, tea, salt, sugar, edible oils, soap and detergent, electricity, natural gas and so on. Although agribusiness education came out during 1960s at Harvard Business School in America, the study and practice of agribusiness in Bangladesh has evolved significantly at the beginning of twenty first century. It has to be noted that the concept of agribusiness education in Bangladesh first came into view at a private university named Atish Dipankar University of Science Technology (ADUST) as the pioneer of agribusiness education. The university has first introduced the course curriculum in agribusiness education for tertiary level in Bangladesh. However, today few public universities have also started to conduct the same program in their institutions. The job market of Bangladesh is very critical and highly competitive. There are few disciplines that have specific job in their fields. As a result, huge number of eligible graduates in Bangladesh becomes unemployed at the initial stage of their career. In order to ameliorate this problem agribusiness education creates a new dimension in the job-market which is planned to meet the agribusiness industrys demands for professionals and entrepreneurs who have the educational background to become successful decision-makers in the rapidly changing agribusiness world. Bangladesh has enormous openings in agro-based industries because of several factors such as higher productivity of agricultural products, availability of seeds and pesticides, lower labor costs etc. Agribusiness career can cross into a large number of industries including farming, animal husbandry, poultry, real estate, retail marketing, investments, and food processing or packaging. Furthermore, an agribusiness graduate may deal with the producers, farm managers, farm appraisers, grain or livestock buyers, market analysts, agricultural policy analysts and researchers by which they may get a competitive advantage in the market. Bangladesh has a positive agro-climatic zone, which is perfect for producing many kinds of agro-products with different high value agricultural products such as Jam-jelly, shrimp, sea food, fruits and vegetables that have a huge demand locally and internationally. To cope with the international business environment especially for the import and export of different agro-products, it is most preferable to have knowledge in agribusiness. For this, many agro-based multinational companies has disclosed agribusiness department for creating suitable business environment in national and international market. According to BM Sajjad Hossain, a supply chain expert, taking the consideration of food security for human being sufficient production, easy access and proper distribution of agro-products throughout the third world countries are highly remarkable topic today. So in reaching the goal of this field, agribusiness education can be the most important team player among all the tools. As an agrarian country Bangladesh has none but this option before. Moreover, the flourishing of agribusiness education may ensure the sustainable balanced development of any developing countries like Bangladesh, India etc. Nonetheless Bangladesh is in abject condition. It is a matter of optimism that wind is changing to zephyr. Some institutions have come forward in this sector. In fact, nowadays Bangladesh government is also getting interested to promote agro-based industries in special economic zone and sub-urban areas. It will help to become a middle income country within time-frame. Hence we may expect to have the momentum the better. The writer teaches Agribusiness at Atish Dipankar University of Science Technology, Banani, Dhaka. Email: [email protected]