Coordinated efforts from public, private and non-government entities made it possible to facilitate the market for sacrificial animals during Eid amidst Covid-19 pandemic, said Dr. Abdul Jabbar Sikder, Director General of the Department of Livestock Services (DLS).
He attended as chief guest in an online seminar on impact of COVID-19 and climatic disaster on livestock sector, organised by CARE Bangladesh with Bangla daily Kaler Kantha.
Access to livestock services, incentives and expansion of e-commerce are crucial for the recovery of the livestock sector, experts suggest.
Agriculture, the lifeline of Bangladesh economy has been affected by Covid pandemic and livestock sector was badly hit.
Ramesh Singh, Country Director of CARE Bangladesh, said “through SDC-Shomosti, we have supported marginalised women farmers including dairy farmers”.
To minimize the impact of the second wave of COVID we need to act now, he added.
SDC is the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
Sohel Ibn Ali, Senior Program Manager of SDC and Imdadul Haq Milan, Editor of Kaler Kantha, also spoke at the event.
Through SDC-SHOMOSHTI project, CARE Bangladesh reached out 180,000 rural households (comprising poor, disadvantaged, and women) with improved technical services, which resulted in higher yields, better prices and increased income.
This was achieved through the application of interventions where investments, new and more inclusive business models were stimulated from the national level to the private sector to create sustainable solutions to underlying causes of market failure.
President of the e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB) Shomi Kaiser emphasised on bringing small and marginal women farmers into ICT eco-system by developing and expanding rural e-commerce platforms.
While sharing experience of digital cattle haat during last Eid season, she suggested ICT literacy for rural women could facilitate their access to the online marketplace.
