SUSTAINABILITY OF SMALLHOLDER SEED ENTERPRISES IN BANGLADESH

Abstract

Smallholders seed cultivation, processing, and marketing of major crops such as rice, wheat and maize have been largely a neglected issue of the government, despite Food and Agriculture Organization reports that the smallholders seed enterprise (SSEs) are the best way of ensuring the availability and quality of non-hybrid seeds. The concept SSE is built around the notion of seed production by smallholders with a view to fulfill their own demand, sell in the local market and foster a commercial perspective in the informal seed system (i.e., beyond government’s initiatives for seed production and development). The objectives of the study were to develop a set of indicators of sustainable SSEs, evaluate sustainability of SSEs, and formulate policy information. The study assessed the sustainability of SSEs by constructing composite indicators (CIs), consisting three dimensions: social, economic and institution. Data were collected from 120 smallholders of six villages of Nagarpur (Tangail) and Shahjadpur (Shirajganj) upazilas. A number of statistical tools, namely, multiple regression analysis and methods such as developing CIs were employed to produce the results and findings. The study results indicate that (i) an overwhelming majority (92.5%) of the smallholder had moderate to highly sustainable seed enterprises, in terms of the selected nine indicators of dimensions and (ii) highly contributing (based on standardized coefficients) indicators were institutional function, marketing prices of seeds, human capital, and marketing facility. The findings conclude that existing institutions (like market) that facilitate agricultural development play a key role in achieving the sustainability of SSEs. Policy should place emphasis on enhancing institutional commitment, coordination and cooperation in providing necessary services for seed cultivation, post-harvest and marketing.