‘bhalo’: A business designed to help smallholder farmers | The Business Standard
Skip to main content
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Saturday
June 14, 2025

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Latest
  • Economy
    • Banking
    • Stocks
    • Industry
    • Analysis
    • Bazaar
    • RMG
    • Corporates
    • Aviation
  • Videos
    • TBS Today
    • TBS Stories
    • TBS World
    • News of the day
    • TBS Programs
    • Podcast
    • Editor's Pick
  • World+Biz
  • Features
    • Panorama
    • The Big Picture
    • Pursuit
    • Habitat
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Mode
    • Tech
    • Explorer
    • Brands
    • In Focus
    • Book Review
    • Earth
    • Food
    • Luxury
    • Wheels
  • More
    • Sports
    • TBS Graduates
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • Gallery
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Magazine
    • Climate Change
    • Health
    • Cartoons
  • বাংলা
SATURDAY, JUNE 14, 2025
‘bhalo’: A business designed to help smallholder farmers

Panorama

Sadia Rahman
09 August, 2020, 10:05 am
Last modified: 09 August, 2020, 11:50 am

Related News

  • Shortage of crucial commodities: Farmers bear brunt of supply chain inefficiencies while middlemen profit: BB report
  • Rangpur farmers happy with bumper groundnut yield, fair price
  • Watermelon fortune changer crop for Khulna's coastal farmers
  • Bumper tomato yields bring no joy to Sunamganj farmers
  • Faridpur farmers hope for bumper onion harvest this season

‘bhalo’: A business designed to help smallholder farmers

Two former NGO staff team up to create a platform that connects smallholder farmers to high quality inputs and services that can aid in generating greater profit

Sadia Rahman
09 August, 2020, 10:05 am
Last modified: 09 August, 2020, 11:50 am
'bhalo' often goes to villages to counsel farmers. Photo: Courtesy
'bhalo' often goes to villages to counsel farmers. Photo: Courtesy

Lovely Begum, residing in Modhya Bazra, Ulipur Kurigram, lost her home years ago to river erosion. However, she, along with her two children, managed to survive on her husband's income, who used to work in textiles.

It was seven years ago when her husband suddenly passed away. The last straw of income was buried with him as well - by that time, Lovely had three kids to feed.

Looking at their faces, she started cattle farming - took a loan, bought cows, fed them, and sold them at a better rate - a popular form of income in "char" areas.

The Business Standard Google News Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel

It usually takes her 10-12 months to get her cattle ready for the market. She is, sometimes, deprived of the expected price as the cattle lack nutrition, fall sick, or do not grow properly.

Besides, Lovely often loses count on how much she spends on her cattle. So, she cannot put an estimate on her profits. She wants to get her cattle better food and treatment but cannot arrange it because of insufficient resources.

She had been drowning in despair until last year when two men from a Social Enterprises named – bhalo, came to her village claiming to have a solution. They offered cattle farmers a four-month package at Tk12,500 which includes nutrition, doctor, and some other facilities, promising it would help their cattle grow better. 

Though Lovely was confused, she took the risk of trying the package. After five months, her decision proved to be wise when the cattle became fit for the market in four months.

She has been availing the package from them ever since and is now making two times more profit than before.

'bhalo' is an initiative that intends to improve the lot of smallholder farmers; becoming their friends in need.

How it all started

bhalo, in simple words, intends to be an enterprise that connects the disadvantaged smallholder farmers to quality inputs and services that can aid in generating greater profit.

The founders of bhalo; Subrata Kumar and Susanta Saha, spent years in the development sector. They were even colleagues at Swisscontact worldwide.

Because of the pattern of their work, they got to observe the sufferings of farmers living in remote areas.

Statistics say, in an agricultural country like Bangladesh, among 16 million farmers, 13 million are underprivileged.

Subrata, who became the spokesperson of bhalo, said, "We tend to hold the middlemen responsible for our farmer's misery, although middlemen are only partially accountable, and the entire working ecosystem - starting from production to sales - are somewhat hostile to them".

Subrata says the problem of sales originates from the very process of production. The farmers are not sanctioned loans with terms that are favourable to them, they are deprived of quality inputs like seeds and pesticides, no one is there to guide with proper advice. Sometimes, they are conned by others for lack of knowledge.

They have to chase multiple channels to resolve these issues. Nowhere do they receive any adequate support. The remoter the area, the acuter these problems become.

In 2012, Swisscontact took notice of these issues and started a project to address them, with resources from the Embassy of Switzerland and Government of Bangladesh. They went to remote areas and started counselling everyone involved with the agriculture sector.

Soon, Subrata realised, bringing together all the players was not easy.

This is when he thought of bringing all of them under one umbrella that would work as a bridge between smallholder farmers and the channels they require for their work.

He took a leap of faith and started developing the idea and left Swisscontact in 2018 to execute the model he envisioned. When he shared it with some of his colleagues, they joined him.

They founded the organisation in 2019.

They chose the name bhalo (good) considering it would be easy for farmers to understand and relate to.

Together, they approached companies like Reneta Limited and ACI Godrej Agrovet Private Limited, who appreciated their idea and agreed to be a part of it by selling them their products at distributor price.

What do they offer?

With the collaboration of those companies, bhalo has created different packages for crop farmers and cattle farmers. The package for crop farmers includes good quality seed, crop protection, and consultancy at Tk2,500 for each bigha of land.

For cattle farmers, it is a four months package of Tk12,550 which includes food and nutrition for cattle, veterinary follow up, overall farming counselling and complementary health insurance coverage for farmers and their spouse.

Also, unlike some other organisations it gives farmers flexibility in paying back the money after selling the cattle.

So far, they have helped 800 farmers in a year under this business model.

Their future plan is to introduce loaning facilities for which they are talking to organisations like BRAC. They also plan to connect farmers with buyers and supplied cattle to parmeeda.com, a boutique e-commerce outlet, for Eid.

The ultimate plan is to become a "one-stop" shop for farmers that simplifies trade for them. 

The difficulties

The upward growth of bhalo was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Still, they are hopeful about the future.

"In agriculture, you do not make a profit right away. You invest and wait. It takes time to get results. This is the reason people are less interested in investing in agriculture," said Subrata.

"We are still a non-profit organisation. We will have a for-profit entity soon to raise investment and grow the business, but our social mission will not change." 

He said, starting in 2019, he still has not drawn any salary on his name from this company whereas he has invested a lion's share of his savings into this venture.

He does part-time consultancies to support the business and is being patient about it.

Subrata thinks, to change our economy, more entrepreneurs should come forward with business models for farmers.

Features / Top News / Startups

bhalo / Farmers / Char area

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Infograph: TBS
    Lowering targets and missing those: Is splitting NBR enough to break the cycle?
  • Missiles launched from Iran are intercepted as seen from Tel Aviv. REUTERS/Jamal Awad
    Iran fires missiles at Israel in response to attacks; Trump says it's not too late for nuclear deal
  • Logo of National Citizen Party (NCP)
    People won't accept election date before July Charter is implemented: NCP on Yunus-Tarique meeting

MOST VIEWED

  • Wreckage of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner showing part of its registration "VT-ANB" in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Amit Dave
    Air India Dreamliner crashes into Ahmedabad college hostel, kills over 290
  • File Photo of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus: UNB
    Prof Yunus to receive Harmony Award from King Charles today
  • Energy adviser Fouzul Kabir Khan with other government officials during a visit to Sylhet gas field on 13 June 2025. Photo: TBS
    I would disconnect gas supply to every home in Dhaka if I could: Energy adviser
  • Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur. TBS Sketch
    Bangladesh mulls settlements with tycoons over offshore wealth: BB governor tells FT
  • UCB declares no dividend for 2024 to comply with regulatory requirement
    UCB declares no dividend for 2024 to comply with regulatory requirement
  • UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus
    Disclosure of unconfirmed Yunus-Starmer meeting shows ‘diplomatic imprudence’: Analysts

Related News

  • Shortage of crucial commodities: Farmers bear brunt of supply chain inefficiencies while middlemen profit: BB report
  • Rangpur farmers happy with bumper groundnut yield, fair price
  • Watermelon fortune changer crop for Khulna's coastal farmers
  • Bumper tomato yields bring no joy to Sunamganj farmers
  • Faridpur farmers hope for bumper onion harvest this season

Features

Photos: Collected

Kurtis that make a great office wear

14h | Mode
Among pet birds in the country, lovebirds are the most common, and they are also the most numerous in the haat. Photo: Junayet Rashel

Where feathers meet fortune: How a small pigeon stall became Dhaka’s premiere bird market

2d | Panorama
Illustration: Duniya Jahan/ TBS

Forget Katy Perry, here’s Bangladesh’s Ruthba Yasmin shooting for the moon

3d | Features
File photo of Eid holidaymakers returning to the capital from their country homes/Rajib Dhar

Dhaka: The city we never want to return to, but always do

4d | Features

More Videos from TBS

No Cash in ATMs: System Glitch or Something Deeper?

No Cash in ATMs: System Glitch or Something Deeper?

8h | TBS Today
Iran-Israel military power; who is ahead?

Iran-Israel military power; who is ahead?

10h | TBS World
Did the possibility of an Iran nuclear deal set back after the attack?

Did the possibility of an Iran nuclear deal set back after the attack?

11h | TBS World
IRGC chief Major General Hossein Salami killed in Israeli strike

IRGC chief Major General Hossein Salami killed in Israeli strike

13h | TBS World
EMAIL US
contact@tbsnews.net
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Advertisement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2025
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net