Bridging Supply Inefficiencies and Consumer Demand: A Farm-to-Consumer Value Chain Analysis of Bangladesh's Fruit Sector

Abstract Fruits play an important role in Bangladesh's agriculture and are a significant part of the daily lives of its people. They also help to support the livelihoods of a large number of families in rural areas and make a major contribution to domestic trade. However, the process of getting fruits from the farmer's field to the consumer's table is generally complicated. During this process the fruits go through many hands and encounter problems concerning procurement, transportation, storage, handling and post-harvest losses. Such problems can reduce the amount that farmers receive while at the same time raising prices and having an effect on the quality and availability of the fruit in the market. The present study looks at the main difficulties in the fruit supply chain with a specific focus on procurement, post-harvest management, storage, transportation, the role of intermediaries and consumer preferences. Primary data were obtained via a structured survey and supplemented by secondary information from research articles, government publications, industry reports and relevant news sources. The study also looks at possible methods of improving coordination among the various participants in the supply chain. On the basis of the findings, a number of practical measures are proposed to cut down on losses, improve market efficiency and strengthen the entire fruit supply chain in Bangladesh.