How Do Agricultural Import Tariffs Affect Men and Women Smallholders ? Evidence from Bangladesh

Using newly available customs data from Bangladesh, along with additional administrative and survey data, this study examines how variation in import tariffs on key agricultural inputs affects men’s and women’s agricultural employment and production—given a high degree of segmentation among men and women in different agricultural activities. In Bangladesh, women and men in agriculture are typically smallholders and maintain distinct occupations within the sector (women in livestock and poultry rearing, and men in crop agriculture). These areas are both heavily dependent on imported commodities (grains and oilseed for livestock and poultry feed, as well as seeds and fertilizer for crop agriculture). The paper shows that import tariff rates are much higher on feed-related inputs; imported inputs for crop agriculture, such as fertilizer, are also heavily subsidized. The paper also shows that the higher resulting prices for inputs used in feed are significantly negatively associated with employment and earnings in poultry and livestock activity, where women are heavily concentrated. Among those marketing output, earnings also tend to be substantially higher in crop agriculture than in livestock/poultry activity, underscoring the need for closely examining how import tariffs can affect more vulnerable groups. Individual producers are also heavily reliant on livestock for own-consumption activity, reducing their ability to pass on increased input costs.