Marketing plays a pivotal role in all stages of economic development. Marketing consideration starts even before the production decision and sustainability of the production technologies are determined, among others by the marketing factor. So the role of marketing to increase and sustain agricultural production can hardly be ever emphasized. Keeping in view the importance of marketing, the Department of Agricultural Marketing was created in the then British India on the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Agriculture, 1928.

 

In 1934 the Government of India took action in implementing the recommendations of the commission and appointed Agricultural Marketing Advisor. The Agricultural Marketing Advisor prepared and submitted a scheme to the Government for creating Marketing Department. Government accepted it and the central and provincial Marketing staff were appointed in 1935. The Government of undivided Bengal realizing the importance and the potentialities placed the Department on permanent basis in 1943 under the Agriculture and Industries Department of the Government of undivided Bengal. After Independence the set up of the Directorate of Agricultural Marketing was approved by the Government in 1954 under the Agriculture, co-operation and Relief Department of the Government of East Pakistan. In 1960 the Provincial Reorganization Committee approved the set of the Directorate with manpower in divisional, district and sub-divisional level.

 

In 1982 Government of Bangladesh re-organised the Ministries/Divisions and Department on the recommendation of the Committee on Organizational setup headed by Brigadier Enamul Haque Khan.  At that time considering the importance, status and functions, the directorate was renamed as Department of Agricultural Marketing.