Report – Agricultural Mechanization Policy in Bangladesh: Recommendations for Reform

Abstract/Description

This report assesses Bangladesh's Phase III agricultural mechanization support program (2020–2024), examining the distribution, impacts, and governance of subsidies for agricultural machines—particularly combine harvesters (CHs). We analyze program effectiveness and identify critical implementation gaps using mixed-methods research combining administrative data analysis; a representative survey of 979 Machinery Service Providers (MSPs), including 400 CH MSPs sampled across 10 districts representing Bangladesh’s major agroecological zones and mechanization intensity; panel data from over 2,000 nationally representative Boro rice–producing households; and 128 qualitative interviews to analyze program effectiveness and pinpoint critical implementation gaps.

Citation

Bakhtiar, M. Mehrab; Mahzab, Moogdho M.; Karim, Md. Aminul; Shamma, Raisa; Belton, Ben; Talukder, Md. Ruhul Amin; et al. 2025. Agricultural mechanization policy in Bangladesh: An assessment of the phase III support program and recommendations for reform. Climate Change X Agriculture Working Paper 1. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/176065

Files

Agricultural mechanization policy in Bangladesh: An assessment of the phase III support program and recommendations for reform

Authors

M. Mehrab Bakhtiar, Moogdho M. Mahzab, Md. Aminul Karim, Raisa Shamma, Ben Belton, Md. Ruhul Amin Talukder, Razin Kabir, Sreejith Aravindakhshan, Timothy J. Krupnik, Akhter U. Ahmed

Date Issued

August 2025

Type

Working Paper

Funders

Gates Foundation, CGIAR Science Program on Policy Innovations, CGIAR Science Program on Scaling for Impact