Commerce State Minister Ahsanul Islam Titu said that farmers do not get money for farming. As a result, they are forced to sell the produce at a low price. One-third of the crop has to be sold to pay for irrigation, fertilizer and labour. But if you give money to farmers, it is easy to get that money back. Although millionaires in this country do not return money.
He said these things while addressing the chief guest at the seminar titled ‘Smart Agriculture and Challenges in Value Chain Development’ organized by Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) on Thursday.
He said, there is no specialized market for agricultural products in our country. There are various retail and wholesale markets. But there is no separate product-wise market. If such a market existed, farmers could collect advance money before planting the crop. Then the production would increase. Many entrepreneurs used to invest there in advance.
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The Minister of State for Commerce also said that the biggest problem in the agriculture sector is standardization and certification. Earlier there was no standardization of rice either. It was fixed three months ago. The three ministries have decided how the rice will be sold. What kind of means, under what name rice will be sold. Now comes a discipline. As you know, there was no rice named Miniket. Still, most rice is sold under this name. Now the millers can’t sell rice as much as they like. Such standard should be fixed in every product.
The state minister said that farmers are very smart. They are producing crops in the country through proper decision. They know when to harvest. They converted one crop land into three crops. Meanwhile, small crops are still being harvested. Farmers in the country who are producing crops on small land should be given hero’s respect.
He said, this year the price of potatoes is Tk 50 per kg. That’s why the Ministry of Commerce is being abused. But the farmers got good prices in the last two seasons. That is why potato production will increase next year. One ton will be more.
The Minister of State for Commerce said, it is very difficult to coordinate our two jobs. One is to ensure fair price to farmers, the other is to ensure products at affordable prices to consumers. But sometimes it doesn’t because of problems with the valuchain.
Information and Communication Technology Department Secretary Shamsul Arefin was the special guest at the seminar held at Motijheel DCCI Auditorium. DCCI president Ashraf Ahmed was the president.
NH/MHR/GKS
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