Technological development and intensifying global competition are fundamentally reshaping agriculture from production of undifferentiated bulk commodities sold in anonymous spot-markets to a production system of segmented and specialized markets, identity-preserved commodities, value-added food products, and a focus on the end-user. Heightened global competition and declining profit margins in the production of undifferentiated bulk commodities are leading farmers, businessmen and agriculturists to pursue efforts to add value to their products and, in so doing, to capture a greater part of the downstream value dominated by processing and marketing sectors
Efforts to develop and expand new types of end uses for bulk agricultural commodities (e.g., alternative fuels, bioplastics), alternative agricultural production systems (e.g., organic, intensive pasture rotation), niche markets, and specialty crops are regarded as creating new opportunities for improving the economic viability of agriculture and rural communities.
On the other hand, to increase the foreign exchange earnings of export agricultural products through new technological innovations, research and learning must be excelled with a strong emphasis on value addition to local agricultural resources through modern scientific and technological approach.