Lack of adequate cold chain facilities is failing Bangladesh’s farmers
Farmers across Bangladesh are losing their harvests not to pests or floods, but to heat, time and lack of cold storage, which is silently sabotaging livelihoods and food security
Just outside Chandpur, in a quiet village, farmer Aleem stood beside a heap of spoiled tomatoes, visibly frustrated. "I had no choice," he said, shaking his head. "There's no cold storage anywhere nearby. By the time I found a buyer, they'd already gone soft."
Aleem's story is not unique. All over Bangladesh, farmers like him are watching their hard-earned produce go to waste — not because they did not work hard, but because they simply do not have the tools to keep their harvests fresh.
Bangladesh grows a wonderful variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, and fish. But a huge chunk — between 20% and 45% — never makes it to our plates.
After harvest, much of this food spoils without proper cold storage and transport to keep it fresh. Experts at a US-based economic research and consultancy firm, LixCap, say that nearly half of our fruits and vegetables go to waste every year, costing the country around $2.4 billion.
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Spinach dunked in a pond
Bangladeshi food scientist, Wahid Bin Quayum, based in Australia, describes a moment that speaks volumes.
"I once saw a farmer dunk his unsold spinach in a roadside pond," he recalls. "He was trying to make it look fresh enough to fool buyers the next day."
It is an image that lingers, showing the sheer desperation of farmers who lack access to proper preservation tools. "At a time when the world is embracing AI and IoT in food systems, this is what farmers in Bangladesh are left with," Wahid says.
From farm to market, vegetables wilt, dairy sours and fish rots. With no refrigeration, farmers are often forced to sell their products immediately at low prices — or worse, dump them entirely. And once the produce hits the open-air wet markets, it is exposed to heat, humidity and contamination.
"These are not just economic losses," Wahid warns. "This also leads to unsafe food, lost export opportunities and increased pressure on consumer prices."
'Need more than just fridges'
The issue goes far deeper than just having storage facilities. A reliable cold chain system is not built upon cold storage alone — it also needs proper infrastructure at or near the farms, temperature-controlled trucks to ensure safe transport, and real-time monitoring using IoT and other digital technologies.
On top of that, farmers and handlers must be trained to understand and operate within this system. Without these elements working in harmony, the entire cold chain falls apart.
"We need more than just fridges," says Wahid. "What we really need is a mindset shift — a coordinated ecosystem where farming, technology and policy are all aligned."
Countries like Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia have already demonstrated what this can look like.
By embracing smart farming techniques and integrating digital tools into their supply chains, they've built cold chain networks that not only ensure food security at home but also enable them to compete in global markets.
Fight from the ground
While policymakers and experts debate strategy, people like Rabib Ridwan, CEO of the agritech startup Agriventure, are getting their hands dirty — literally.
"We work directly with smallholder farmers," Rabib explains. "And one of their biggest complaints is post-harvest losses. They do everything right, but once the crop is harvested, they're at the mercy of time and temperature."
Rabib has seen farmers try to beat the heat with makeshift solutions — raising produce on bamboo racks, pointing fans at piles of potatoes, or wrapping greens in wet cloths. "These tricks might buy them a few days," he says, "but they're no substitute for cold storage."
Worse still, quality-focused buyers like supermarkets and exporters often reject produce that shows the slightest sign of spoilage. That is where farmers lose the most.
"To meet supermarket standards, you need consistent quality," Rabib explains. "But if your harvest wilts before it even gets there, you're out of the game."
Through Agriventure, Rabib has helped farmer cooperatives experiment with crowdfunding small cold units and mobile chillers. "Even a basic solution can give them a few extra days to negotiate better prices," he says. "That window makes all the difference."
So, what's the fix?
Both Wahid and Rabib agree that the way forward lies in a thoughtful combination of smart infrastructure and strong policy backing. For real progress to happen, the government needs to step in — not just with promises, but with practical support like subsidising cold storage units and offering low-interest loans to encourage investment.
Farmers also need access to proper training on how to handle produce after harvest, so the quality is not lost before it even reaches the market.
On the logistics front, investments are essential — things like mobile cold trucks and rural cold hubs can make a world of difference in getting fresh produce from farm to table. At the same time, digital technologies must be brought in to monitor storage and transport conditions in real time, helping reduce spoilage and improve efficiency.
To tie it all together, a central regulatory authority could help cut through the layers of red tape and bring more coordination to the system.
"Right now, there are too many bottlenecks," Wahid says. "Power outages, bad roads, lack of trained staff, and too many middlemen. Everything adds up."
But he believes Bangladesh does not need to start from scratch. The country can learn from successful regional models and craft its own system — one that ensures food safety, builds resilient supply chains, and empowers the very people who feed the nation.
For farmers like Aleem, a reliable cold chain could mean the difference between loss and livelihood.
"I don't want to throw my crops away anymore," he says. "I just want to get what they're worth."
