Transforming agricultural markets in Bihar: strengthening value chains and farmer participation

• Jul 26, 2025
• 2 min

Smallholder farmers in Bihar, India, struggled to access agricultural markets. Weak infrastructure, limited value-added opportunities, and inadequate policy support prevented them from scaling their operations and earning higher profits. The lack of farmers’ collectives and gaps in price information further restricted their participation in agricultural value chains.

MSC implemented the Bihar Agricultural Marketing Network project to strengthen market systems through policy improvements, infrastructure development, and institutional capacity building. This multiyear initiative sought to create an efficient, accessible market environment for farmers to drive inclusive agricultural transformation in Bihar.

MSC worked closely with the Government of Bihar and provided strategic consulting on agricultural marketing policies. It strengthened farmer producer organizations (FPOs), promoted agri-exports, and improved market infrastructure. MSC-led activities enhanced value chains through stronger linkages, reduced price information gaps, and improved data collection. Additionally, MSC unlocked financial resources, facilitated policy reforms, and scaled market-related interventions to accelerate agricultural growth.

The project successfully delivered significant outcomes. It unlocked more than USD 356 million to support and expand market-related interventions in Bihar. It also activated more than 100 market nodes to collect real-time price and arrival data, which were integrated into the Government of India’s Agmarknet portal. The initiative also played a key role to advance policy reforms in agri-export regulations, FPO formation, and the allocation of public market assets.

Capacity-building efforts were also a major focus. More than 200 government officials, 191 FPOs and farmer producer companies (FPCs), and 112 agri-exporters across 28 districts in Bihar received training to enhance their market participation and operational efficiency. These interventions strengthened primary and secondary markets, improved infrastructure, and created new economic opportunities for small-scale producers and women-led collectives.

The Gates Foundation commissioned this project to MSC for the Government of Bihar.