An area-based weekly ‘Farmers’ Market’ has been launched in Kamrangirchar area in Dhaka in order to ensure the benefit of both the farmers and consumers through the supply of nutritious and fresh food items at fair prices.
The ‘Farmers’ Market’ was inaugurated on Friday (August 26) under the ‘Dhaka Food System Project’ of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (FAO).
Work for a Better Bangladesh (WBB) Trust is implementing the project with the support of the Embassy of the Netherlands and the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
It is the third ‘Farmers’ Market’ in Dhaka city under the project, while it is the first ‘Farmers’ Market’ in the DSCC area.
Ten farmers, certified by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), from Kalatia union of Keraniganj upazila in Dhaka district will sell their produced vegetables and fruits in the weekly market. The marketplace willremain open from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm every Friday on the banks of the river in front of Sheikh Jamal School at Kamrangirchar.
The establishment of the Farmers’ Markets is the part of the initiative of setting up such six marketplaces in the area of DSCC. The Ward No. 56 of the DSCC gets the ‘Farmers’ Market’, while five other such weekly markets will be set up in the areas of Wards No. 1, 15, 19, 39, and 33 of the DSCC under the project.
Speakers at the inaugural ceremony said, “We believe that the weekly market will play vital role in providing healthy and safe food for the local people.”
The Farmers’ Market was formally inaugurated by Mohammad Hossain, councilor of Ward No. 56 of Dhaka South City Corporation; while Gaous Pearee, director at WBB Trust; presided over the event.
Ziaur Rahman, senior project manager of the WBB Trust, moderated the event, while it was addressed, among others, by Md Shahidul Amin, upazila agriculture Officer of Keraniganj; Mushfika Sultana, metropolitan agriculture officer of Kamrangirchar, Xavie Boan, senior technical Advisor of Dhaka Food System Project, Pedro Andres Garzon Delvo, food systems policy economist at FAO, Anwar Hossain, sub assistant agriculture officer of Kalatia Union, Jahangir Alam, sustainable agriculture specialist at Dhaka Food System Project, Masuma Chowdhury, nutrition and gender specialist of the project, and Sharifa Parveen of DSCC.
In his speech, Councilor Mohammad Hossain said that the Farmers’ Market is being organized on a small scale once a week. “We want to make it a permanent market so that local people can buy healthy and nutritious food every day. The road in front of the school has been chosen to arrange the weekly market to ensure water and toilet facilities for the farmers. The Councilor’s office will ensure that both farmers and buyers’ benefit,” he added.