Speakers at a views-exchange meeting called for setting up weekly ‘Farmers’ Market’ with safe vegetables in every ward in Dhaka to ensure the nutritional needs of the city dwellers.
They also said that if such initiative is taken, it won’t only ensure the nutritional needs of the city dwellers, setting up ‘Farmers’ Market’ in every ward in the capital would also help the small and marginal farmers to ensure better return from the produce.
Work for a Better Bangladesh (WBB) Trust with the support of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations arranged the view-exchange meeting on ‘Farmers’ Market and Availability of Safe and Nutritional Food’ with journalists through a virtual platform on Thursday (July 15).
Director of WBB Trust Gaous Pearee presided over the event, while it was addressed, among others, by Regional Director of HealthBridge Foundation of Canada Debra Efroymson, National Project Coordinator of FAO Jainal Abedin, Nusrat Anwar of FAO, its Senior Coordinator Md Nazrul Islam, Anwarul Islam, journalist Nikhil Chandra Bhadra of Kaler Kantha, Kefayet Shakil of Bangla Vision and Sanchita Setu of Bangla Tribune.
Project Officer of WBB Trust Naima Akter presented the main keynote, while Senior Project Officer of the organization Ziaur Rahman moderated the event.
The FAO is implementing the project ‘Dhaka Food System’ with the aim of ensuring safe food and nutrition for Dhaka city’s dwellers. They have taken the initiative to open ‘Farmers’ Market’.
As part of their activities, the FAO with the support of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Work for a Better Bangladesh (WBB) Trust opened a ‘Farmers’ Market’ at T-Block in Mirpur area under Ward No. 6 of DNCC. It is a three-month pilot project.
Ten small farmers from Birulia area in Savar, on the outskirts of the capital, come to the weekly ‘Farmers’ Market’ with their produce as well as vegetables every Friday and they sell different varieties of vegetables at the weekly market from 7:00 am. These farmers are certified by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
In her keynote, Naima Akter said that a huge quantity of vegetables and fruits are produced in the country which are capable of fulfilling the nutritional needs of the countrymen. But the vegetable farmers are deprived of fair prices due to lack of proper market management. On the other hand, the consumers are also deprived of safe vegetables and fruits.
Against this backdrop, setting up weekly ‘Farmers’ Market’ in every ward in Dhaka is required to ensure safe vegetables for consumers and fair price for farmers. Integration of marginal farmers with their produce in the weekly marketplace in Dhaka is a way of ensuring better return from the produce, while consumers will also be benefited from such a market as this initiative will help the consumers to fulfill their nutritional need for a reasonable price, she added.
In her presidential speech, Gaous Pearee said that there is no alternative to safe food for better health. “The Farmers’ Market will play a vital role in this regard as it is a good source of safe vegetables. Alongside every ward of Dhaka, if we can establish such a marketplace in every district, the people will be benefitted,” she said.
Jainal Abedin said the supply of nutritional food has been reduced due to the unplanned urbanization. Against this backdrop, the FAO has taken such initiative.
