Five other makeshift ‘Farmers’ Markets’ are going to be established in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) area in order to ensure the supply of nutritious and fresh food items to the consumers at fair prices.
The Farmers’ Market is being set up also to encourage the farmers in agriculture and to avoid the influence of middlemen who are hurting farmers. Development activists, experts on market management and the government officials said that
‘Farmers’ Markets’ will benefit both the parties-- farmers and consumers-- and will play a vital role in improving public health condition.
The ‘Farmers’ Markets’ will be set up in the areas of Wards No. 1, 2, 19, 30 and 33 of DNCC under the project titled ‘Dhaka Food System’.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the Work for a Better Bangladesh (WBB) Trust are implementing the project with the support of the Embassy of the Netherlands and the DNCC authorities.
The initiative of setting up five other new ‘Farmers’ Markets’ has been taken following a successful implementation of a pilot project in the area of Ward No. 6 of the DNCC.
10 farmers, certified by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), will sell their produce in a market to consumers a day every week.
However, the establishment of five other Farmers’ Markets is the part of the initiative of setting up 16 ‘Farmers’ Markets’ in the areas of 16 wards of Dhaka, Narayanganj and Gazipur cities.
On the occasion of commencement of the five new ‘Farmers’ Markets’, a function titled ‘Establishing Neighbourhood Farmers’ Market in the Area of Dhaka North City Corporation’ was held at a hotel at Banani in Dhaka on Thursday (June 16).
Gaous Pearee, director at WBB Trust delivered theaddress of welcome while Naima Akter, project manager at WBB Trust, presented the keynote paper and Ziaur Rahman, senior project manager of the organization, moderated the event.
Md Selim Reza, chief executive officer of DNCC, spoke on the occasion as the chief guest, while it was addressed, among others, by Brigadier General Mohammad Jobaidur Rahman, chief health officer of DNCC, Ziaur Rahman, zonal executive officer of Zone-2 of DNCC, Abdullah-Al-Baki, zonal executive officer of Zone-3, Mutakabbir Ahmed, zonal executive officer of Zone-5, Maksud Hashem, chief urban planner, Jahangir Hossain, sustainable agriculture specialist at FAO, Mihisr Biswas, joint secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan (BAPA), BA Mostafa Kamal, district fisheries officer of Dhaka, and Md Golam Hasan Majumder, additional deputy director at DAE.
Sazzad Hossain, councillor of DNCC’s Ward No. 2, and Hamida Akhter Mita and Amena Begum Ranu, two-woman councillors of reserved seats, also spoke on the occasion and assured that they would extend their all-out support to establishing the Farmers’ Market in their respective areas.
Sazzaad Hossain said, “All of us are interested in purchasing safe food products. It is possible to provide necessary space and facilities for setting up of Farmers’ Market in our ward. The councillor’s office will ensure that there is no extortion in these markets.”
Speaking as the chief guest, Md Selim Reza said, “Due to corporate culture, our agriculture and food intake have changed. We all are suffering because of the rogue activities in market management.”
He, however, said that all-out assistance will be provided by DNCC for setting up of Farmers’ Markets. “We have to ensure safe food products in this market and we will have monitoring system,” he added.
Jobaidur Rahman said, “The growth rate of our fruit production is more than 11 per cent. Although we are ahead in production, we are lagging behind in transportation, marketing and conservation. Farmers are suffering due to lack of proper market system. It is possible to benefit the farmers by removing the middlemen system through the Farmers’ Markets. Encouraged by the markets in six wards, it is possible to expand the initiative to the areas of 54 wards of the DNCC.”
In her address of welcome, Gaous Pearee said that FAO has taken the initiative to establish ‘Farmers’ Markets’ in Dhaka and its adjacent cities aiming to make available fresh farm produces at fair prices. She sought cooperation from all stakeholders, including the DAE, Department of Fisheries, Department of Livestock, DNCC, DSCC, NCC, GCC, civil society members and media, in implementing the project.
In his speech, Ziaur Rahman of DNCC said that technology needs to be integrated with the Farmers’ Markets to make these vibrant. People will benefit if online farmer market services are ensured. He assured that they would inspect the markets and provide overall support to the success of this initiative.
Abdullah-Al-Baki said that the campaign is very important to make the Farmers’ Market activities popular among the people. Success will come if the Department of Fisheries and Department of Livestock Services are directly involved in providing fish and meat.
Mutakabbir Ahmed said the Farmers’ Market activities come under the law regarding Hat-Bazaar (marketplace). This project needs to be implemented in accordance with the law.
