Help develop agri-marketing
Food minister urges donors, NGOs
Food Minister Abdur Razzaque yesterday sought assistance from donors and NGOs to help improve agricultural marketing system locally, and expand agro-products' market globally.
The marketing of agro products is a huge problem in Bangladesh, he said adding farmers couldn't change their fate unless they get good prices of their produces.
"Farmers' direct linkage with the market, therefore, is a crying need," the minister said, referring to a chain departmental shop in the city that buys products directly from the farmers all through the year.
Establishing such stores could be a great help for the farmers, Razzaque said at a programme.
He said milkmen in Sirajganj and some other northern districts are now selling milk at Tk 13-16 a littre, which is very cheap. "Previously, we saw farmers failing to sell tomatoes, potatoes and other vegetables. This can't go on," Razzaque said, adding that NGOs could help in this regard.
"We also need policy support of the development partners like the European Union (EU) to establish European market for Bangladesh's agro products, demanded by many Bangladeshis and Indian immigrants there," he said.
Abdur Razzaque was addressing as the chief guest at an inception workshop on a project titled "Making Agriculture and Market Systems Work for Landless, Marginal and Smallholder Farmers in Bangladesh" at the city's IDB Bhaban auditorium.
EU and Practical Action fund the 21-month project of Tk 28 crore that aims at increasing income of 15,000 farm households by providing financial and technical assistance in producing livestock, vegetables, crops and fisheries and linking market.
Practical Action in collaboration with Bangladesh Association for Social Advancement (Basa) and Voluntary Paribar Kallyan Association (VPKA) will implement the project in Sirajganj and Rajbari.
Appreciating the project's market linkage component, the minister said helping farmers increase production and linking them with market would be a great thing if done successfully. This model then could be replicated in other parts of the country, he said.
The food minister, an agronomist by profession, said a coordinated approach is imperative in boosting productivity and diversifying agriculture.
For example, he said, farmers of six villages could come together and grow crops, vegetables, fisheries and livestock in a planned way so that they can produce all major food items.
If there are poultry farms in those villages, some can grow maize for the farms, and so there would be no problem for marketing, the minister said.
There are many NGOs working in two to three-year projects, he said, adding such short-term projects cannot have real impacts on people and suggested planning long-term plans to make real change in peoples' fate.
Shafiqul Islam MP from Sirajganj said despite various obstacles, farmers are growing more crops and vegetables, but they cannot reap real benefits because of storage facilities.
Stephane David, EU official dealing with food security, Practical Action Country Director Veena Khaleque, Basa Executive Director AKM Sirajul Islam and VPKA Executive Director Abdus Sattar also spoke at the workshop.
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