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Shibganj Hosts Regional Campaign Highlighting Local Economic Development and Mango Sector Growth

Bangladesh
Entrepreneurial ecosystems
14.01.2025
Shibganj Municipality hosted a dynamic day-long regional campaign on January 14th, 2025, at the Shibganj Upazila Parishad premises, focusing on "Local Economic Development Model and the Role of the Mango Sector in Economic Development." The event emphasized the vital contribution of Shibganj's thriving mango industry to the region's economic growth, highlighting innovative agricultural practices, public-private partnerships, and the transformative potential of the mango sector. 

The event brought together representatives from nine prominent municipalities engaged in mango trade. These municipalities participated in learning from Shibganj’s best practices in advancing mango productivity, market development, and municipal services. The event was designed to showcase how Shibganj's success in integrating Ultra-High-Density (UHD) technology and market linkages has significantly boosted local economic development and the mango industry’s growth.

The campaign was supported by the PRABRIDDHI - Local Economic Development (LED) Project, funded by the Governments of Bangladesh and Switzerland, and implemented by the Local Government Division (LGD) and Swisscontact. Shibganj's achievements in adopting UHD technology for mango farming were a key highlight. This innovation has revolutionized production by increasing yields and ensuring fair prices for farmers with late-variety mangoes available year-round. The initiative provided a platform for municipalities to foster peer learning and collaboration inspired by Shibganj’s success.

Prominent attendees included Jiban Krishna Saha, Director General of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA); Md. Abdus Samad, Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate of Chapainawabganj; Md. Azahar Ali, Administrator of Shibganj Municipality; Dr. Md. Mokhlesur Rahman, Chief Scientific Officer at the Regional Horticulture and Research Center, Chapainawabganj; Alamgir Kabir, Head of Business Administration at Swisscontact Bangladesh.

The Administrator of Chapainawabganj district, Md. Abdus Samad
"The PRABRIDDHI project demonstrates how local economic development can be achieved. Shibganj’s model offers valuable lessons for other municipalities."
Md. Abdus Samad, Administrator of Chapainawabganj district 

The event featured a Local Economic Development Seminar, a Mango Trade Fair, Business-to-Business (B2B) dialogues, traditional Gombhira performances, and competitions for women entrepreneurs and youth. Participants also toured UHD mango farms to observe advanced farming technologies firsthand. Leading companies such as Shwapno, Pran Foods, Akij Food & Beverage, and Meridian Group engaged in the B2B discussions, strengthening ties between producers and markets.

During the LED seminar, stakeholders discussed Shibganj’s success in solving challenges through Public-Private Dialogue (PPD). Over the years, these dialogues have driven significant improvements, including enhanced market infrastructure, better business services, increased revenue from holding taxes, and upgraded waste collection practices.

Dr. Md. Sorof Uddin from the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) shared his research on the adoption challenges of UHD technology in eight municipalities, offering practical solutions and emphasizing Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). Meanwhile, Dr. Md. Mokhlesur Rahman highlighted Shibganj’s progress in year-round mango production and global export expansion through UHD technology.

"Shibganj’s pioneering use of advanced UHD technology in mango production is exemplary. Not only has it increased production, but the region has also made significant strides in establishing an effective marketing process, creating opportunities for year-round mango exports and expanding the global export network"
Dr. Md. Mokhlesur Rahman, Chief Scientific Officer, HCRC, Chapainawabganj
"Since 2018, PRABRIDDHI have been working with Shibganj Municipality to enhance their local initiative planning and implementation capacity. As a result, Shibganj has already become a model municipality for local economic development. We hope that other municipalities will also follow this model and make progress."
Alamgir Kabir, Head of Business Administration at Swisscontact
2020 - 2025
Bangladesh
Entrepreneurial ecosystems
PRABRIDDHI – Local Economic Development
PRABRIDDHI focuses on building the capacity of an urban or rural territory to create a competitive advantage for its enterprises through a broad set of activities and improve the economic well-being of its people and workers.
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