Cell phone in service of agriculture
Photo: Firoz Gazi / Driknews
The other day I was going through a recent issue of USAID's weekly FRONTLINES wherein the USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah narrated how cell phones contributed to the agricultural development in northern India and Africa. According to him, “The wide reach of cell phones has given us one of the most powerful development platforms ever. In northern India, farmers can now get real time information on market prices and advice on agriculture-related issues. In Haiti, entrepreneurs can access safe and reliable mobile banking services. With cell phone technology becoming cheaper, we also saw improved governance, private-sector reforms, and economic growth in Africa.” Undoubtedly, cell phone has brought about a revolution in the field of dissemination of useful information among the common people. I think Bangladesh is also not lagging behind. Cell phones are now widely used by Bangladeshi farmers for collection and exchange of various agricultural information including prices of agricultural commodities. Meanwhile, in the context of Bangladesh, credibility of agricultural information has to be ensured. At the same time, a sound transportation system is needed for smooth movement of agricultural commodities. For instance, due to traffic jam several trucks laden with vegetables can not reach the capital in time resulting in financial loss to the sellers as well as the buyers. A sharp fall in the supply of vegetables and other agricultural products in relation to demand causes high price hike. We need to set up an effective agricultural marketing network in the country.
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