Starting a Business in the Agricultural Sector: Challenges and Opportunities for Returning Bangladeshi Graduates from the UK

Abstract

Every year thousands of talented students from Bangladesh graduate from universities and colleges in the UK. Because the tuition fees they have to pay are very high, most of these students originate from rich families, which provide them with financial support when studying and to start in business after graduation. Most of them return to Bangladesh after completing their studies, where they could play a significant role in the improvement of different industrial sectors. Very few start a business in agriculture, even though most of them have the financial resources and the sector offers significant potential. This paper presents an overview of Bangladeshi agriculture and the challenges that UK graduates face in starting a business in this sector. It details recommendations based on interview data and a review of secondary sources, suggesting that the main challenges are poor education among existing workers, lack of technology, lack of government support, corruption among local government officials, lack of security, lack of financial support, natural calamities, poor transportation, and lack of insurance against crop damage.