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Swisscontact’s PRABRIDDHI and the Making Markets Work for the Jamuna, Padma and Teesta Chars (M4C) projects, funded by the the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), have facilitated a successful partnership between stakeholders in Gaibandha’s Char Area and Bogura’s Light Engineering (LE) sector, enabling the acquisition of agricultural machinery and enhancing regional cooperation and market connectivity. This collaboration bridges the gap between Gaibandha’s farmers, who are in need of accessible, locally supported machinery, and Bogura’s LE workshops seeking to expand their customer base.
PRABRIDDHI recently organised an exposure visit, with Bogura's Mayor and the Project Director of the Rural Development Academy (RDA) joining to help local stakeholders understand the agricultural needs of Gaibandha’s farmers firsthand. Following the exposure visit, Ruhan Machinery, a Gaibandha-based workshop, independently took the initiative to purchase CHF 583.94 worth of spare parts from Habu Engineering Workshop in Bogura. “
Due to the previous exposure visit, I developed a good relationship with the entrepreneur from Habu Engineering Workshop, and based on that connection, I purchased spare parts” shared a representative from Ruhan Machinery, highlighting the collaborative potential sparked by this initiative.
Building on this momentum, PRABRIDDHI organized a business development meeting in Gaibandha where local farmers and dealers identified three key agricultural machines—the chopper, combo husking machine, and maize sheller—and subsequently collaborated with Kamal Machine Tools (KMT) to manufacture and deliver these machines, along with training sessions for local farmers.
During the initial training, KMT supplied three chopper machines, including a renewable energy model, at a project-discounted price of CHF 328.47. A second session followed with KMT selling a combo husking machine for CHF 218.98. Expressing optimism, Mr. Saddam, an entrepreneur from the Char Area, stated, “I hope to build a strong connection with KMT to ensure reliable access to quality machinery and gain practical operational knowledge.” These training sessions provided farmers with essential skills to operate the machinery while also ensuring ongoing support, addressing the common issue of limited after-sales service often associated with imported equipment.
This successful collaboration represented a strong model for addressing the needs of rural farmers while supporting local engineering industries. By facilitating reliable market access and skills exchange, the partnership between Gaibandha and Bogura has the potential to drive sustainable growth in both the agricultural and light engineering sectors across Bangladesh.