Producers of vegetables, fruits and other food items are deprived of fair prices of their produces, while consumers, especially the consumers in urban areas of Bangladesh, are deprived of safe and nutritious food at fair prices.
Public health experts, rights activists, elected representatives and officials of local government institutions have largely blamed the middlemen for such a situation.
They said that a big portion of the profit goes to the pockets of the middlemen who deliver the vegetables and other food items to different areas of the country. However, they mostly fail to provide safe and nutritious food to consumer level.
Against this backdrop, farmers’ markets were set up in the areas of 16 wards in Dhaka, Narayanganj and Gazipur cities in order to ensure safe and nutritious food to consumers at fair prices. Six of the farmers’ markets are being conducted every Friday in the areas of six wards of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
The public health experts, rights activists, some elected representatives and officials of the DSCC at a sharing workshop said that although the farmers’ markets were set up on a small scale, these weekly makeshift markets are playing a vital role in meeting the safe and nutritional needs of a part of Dhaka city dwellers.
Claiming that the Farmers’ Markets have already gained popularity among consumers, they said that the markets should be set up permanently, while it is necessary to build Farmers’ Market in each ward of the DSCC through framing a specific policy.
The workshop titled ‘Establishing Neighborhood Farmers’ Market in Dhaka South City Corporation’ was held at a hotel in the city on Thursday (February 9).
Work for a Better Bangladesh Trust (WBB Trust) arranged the sharing workshop with support of the DSCC, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of United Nations and the Embassy of the Netherlands.
Numeri Zaman, joint secretary at Local Government Division; presided over the event, while Naima Akter, project manager at WBB Trust; presented the keynote paper and Gaous Pearee, director at WBB Trust; delivered the welcome speech.
Moderated by Ziaur Rahman, senior project manager of WBB Trust; the event was addressed, among others, by Md. Mizanur Rahman, chief executive officer (additional secretary) of DSCC; Md. Shahid Ullah, panel mayor-1 of the DSCC; Md. Mostafizur Rahman, a deputy secretary at Local Government Division; DSCC’s councilors Abul Bashar, Rokanuddin Ahmed, Md Hasibur Rahman Manik, Farhana Islam and Shefali Akhter, Babar Ali Meer, a zonal executive officer of DSCC; Xavier Bouan, senior technical advisor Dhaka Food System Project of FAO; and Jainal Abedin, national project coordinator of the project.
In his presidential speech, Numeri Zaman said that the purpose of the farmers’ market project is to make people interested in healthy eating habits in the long term. “Transport system is a challenge for farmers in the market. Farmers can provide transport with a share of their profits. If incentives are needed for some more time, city corporation’s transports can be used. Even after this project ends, we can bring some changes at the policy-making level through which farmers' markets can be expanded in every city corporation and municipality,” he said.
Md. Mizanur Rahman said that the current market system is dependent on consumers’ satisfaction. The Farmers’ Markets have been able to satisfy both consumers and farmers. The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) should take initiatives to encourage farmers to practice safe farming. Sustaining markets requires the cooperation and involvement of local councillors.
Md. Shahid Ullah said, “We will take initiatives to make the farmers’ markets sustainable. It is necessary to take the initiative of setting up farmer's market in every ward in a phased manner.”
Like the DSCC’s ward councilor, Xavier Bouan said that farmers’ markets should be expanded.
