BRAC Seed and Agro Enterprise

BRAC Seed and Agro Enterprise sells varieties of field crops, vegetables and forage crops. The social enterprise is part of BRAC, established in 1972 and one of the largest non-governmental organizations in the world, with operations in 14 countries. From 1996 onward, the company engaged in seed activities. These activities were unified under BRAC Seed and Agro Enterprise by mid-2014. BRAC Seed and Agro Enterprise has 413 employees and is only active in Bangladesh, in which it has a network of 650 dealers that link to a network of 7,000 retailers. In terms of revenue, the company’s main crops are potato, rice and maize.

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South and Southeast Asia

Summary of results:

BRAC Seed and Agro Enterprise ranks 11th in the South and Southeast Asia Index. The company scores relatively well in Marketing & Sales, thanks to its demonstration and promotion activities, affordability schemes and diverse portfolio. The company also scores in Research & Development for its collaborative research initiatives and wide scope in testing varieties. The company demonstrates it has standard quality management systems and labor standards in place for its 21 seed production centers throughout Bangladesh. Significant opportunities for improvement remain in Governance & Strategy.

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Operations in Scope
  • Countries in Scope
  • Company Presence
  • Production Locations
  • Breeding Station/R&D
Index Crops in Portfolio
Seed type Source
Hybrid OPV GM Own
breeding
program
Public
research
institute
Licensed
from other
company
Field crops
Maize
Potato
Rice, paddy
Sorghum
Sunflower
Wheat
Vegetables
Cabbage
Carrot
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Eggplant
Gourd
Green bean
Green pea
Okra
Onion
Pepper (hot)
Pumpkin
Tomato
Watermelon
Leading Practices

    The company has various synergetic approaches to reach women smallholder farmers. It employs 30 women sales agents to better reach this target group. Its call center motivates women farmers to engage in homestead gardening to ensure family nutrition. Through the project Promotion of Nutrition through Vegetables, 3,280 women farmers had been trained by 2017.

Areas for Improvement

    While the parent company BRAC has multiple initiatives and strategies that aim to advance the social welfare and livelihoods of marginalized and smallholder farmers, BRAC Seed and Agro Enterprise could improve its performance by more clearly aligning its operations with that of its parent organization, in particular for its overall strategies and capacity building.

Notable Findings

    BRAC Seed and Agro Enterprise is a member of the Bangladesh Seed Association and takes an active role in different development activities initiated by the association. The company’s efforts to develop rice hybrids and potato tissue culture contribute to an enabling environment for the seed industry in Bangladesh.

    The company maintains a collection of 113 aromatic and 68 non-aromatic rice varieties at its Agriculture Research and Development Centre in Gazipur, with the aim of increasing the pool of available genetics in Bangladesh for future gain from these varieties.

    The company works with 21 national and international seed production and research organizations to deliver improved agricultural technologies to marginal farmers and conserve genetic resources. Among its partners are the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and World Vegetable Center (AVRDC).

    The company has a breeding program for five of the 20 crops offered in its portfolio: eggplant, gourd, pumpkin, rice and maize. The remaining crops are licensed from other companies and/or are public research institute varieties.

    The company offers different integrated pest management techniques and supports the use of bio-pesticides and bio-fertilizers to improve soil quality and micronutrient availability to crops.

    BRAC Seed and Agro Enterprise is also active in Africa, with programs in Liberia and Uganda. In Uganda, the company is working on maize, rice, dry beans, vegetables and sweet potato.