Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Trip to Bangladesh in July..non personal+ personal.

This country created by god as a showcase of human misery to remind us constantly that we are certainly fortunate ones.
Totally lacking in basics of data, neither supply side or for that matter demand side is clearer, ..................an international NGO says the Bangladesh is bound to produce ............tonnes of coarse cereals this year which essentially means ....., trade circles dispute same and would like to put it across as ..............tonnes, the demand which can easily be traced to .............tonnes annualised at its peak but certainly the cyclone and bird flu pushed back the demand by atleast ...............tonnes, it’s a fact corroborated by almost miniscule ............from Indian borders.
Infrastructure in form of national highway albiet bit narrow but is excellent connecting Dhaka to all up north counties ,trip to these areas is manouvering the vehicle through mass of humanity which is all pervading in Bangladesh rarely you get the lonely stretches but out of Dhaka suburbs and past the textile units to be precise stitching/sewing factories you suddenly find yourself in green heaven, miles of paddy fields and submerged lands surrounded by hutments and thick foliage around, to emphasise all rural is totally ethreal and all urban a big slum .
Bogra :
This place by River Jamuna or Brahmputra for us in India is a big commerce centre of north Bangladesh, warehousing infrastructure is there and ............have kept the material there, they have tried to follow best practices of ..............and have atleast suceeded in copying the quality strictness of ....................., few inputs were added by me to them.
Jalal is a big trader and has good control of supplies.Jalal has kept one Mr Dass as broker to interact with long line of traders.Rafique in rural areas has good network his new jeans showed signs of prosperity brought by Corn.
Dinajpur (Pronounced Dinejpur):
The area bordering the Indian Dinajpur, is excellent maize growing area and big trading centre for this as well, big warehousing is available and quite a few poultry players stock material here.
Rangpur (Pronounced Roangpur):
Excellent maize growing area and its biggest trader Navin(Pronounced Nobeen) Kumar Saha is shrewd Bengali bania.
Being a good stocking point one of the largest organised trader in poultry biz Trade Excel has its warehousing locations here.
Lalmonirhat :
Area bordering Coochbehar in west bengal northest area, has good smuggling points, Ram babu roy trades from here and interacts with bigger traders like Trade excel and Jalal through Mr Dass.
How does domestic grain trade operates in Bangladesh or the value chain
No set market yards , no taxes , no records this sums up the story of Bangladesh corn trade.
Farmers produce corn and bring it in Rickshaws (That's national carrier) to Chattal owners---- Chattal is a flat cemented piece of land which is most valued in Bangladesh, hardly any flat, dry pieces of land are available , its seen to be believed that this small piece of land is so valued that every chattal owner is the consolidator be it of Corn/Paddy or whatever comes…. Well this almost true for Bihar as well where farmers bring the produce on highways to dry it fast.
Communities are divided and mutual suspicion is all pervading(Its not a political statement I make here but more related to geography and demography and having commercial implications…please do not mind) that is why community specific brokers…these things were not told by anyone including .......................but is obvious.
Chittagong (Pronounced chatgaon):
Port town in most idyllic location and maintained in worst form, you have bay of bengal kissing slopping hills thickly planted with swaying euclayptus.
Only feeder vessels come into port.
Bulk vessels have anchorage port.
Private container yards are available with excellent facilities

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