Al Amin :
Leaders of the Bangladesh Dairy Farmers Association (BDFA) have expressed dissatisfactory over the move of Department of Livestock Services (DLS) to form a new farmers’ associations.
The DLS has initiated to form the new association across the country bypassing the real farmers, although it has no right to do this, they said.
It was alleged that DLS is forming the new body to embezzle incentives provided by World Bank to the livestock sector.
On August 4, the DLS sent letters across the country to form a new committee despite having active committees of the BDFA across the country. “DLS is hatching conspiracy to form new association by ignoring active association of the real dairy farmers to embezzle incentives of the World Bank. It can’t do it,” Mohammad Shah Emran, General Secretary (GS) of BDFA told The New Nation.
He further said, “The DLS has already formed committee of dairy farmers in different parts of the country excluding the real farmers. It does not have the right. He also said, “The DLS could not form a dairy farmers committee. It should allow farmers to form farmer’s own organisations.”
The BDFA, existing association of dairy farmers, was formed in 2016 and registered in 2019. Currently it has 18,000 active members, who are real dairy farmers, across the country, the BDFA leader said.
Dr Shaikh Azizur Rahman, Director General of Department of Livestock Services (DLS), said that we have taken steps to form new committee as the existing dairy farmers’ association doesn’t have strong wings across the country, which is essential for disbursing the fund.”
“We will form association in the areas, in where, have no active committees to strengthen our works,” he said.
Earlier, the World Bank (WB) signed a loan deal worth Tk 4,000 crore with the Bangladesh government under a scheme named, “Live Stock and Dairy Development Project (LDDP).”
The Washington-based global lender has already released Tk 816 crore in July last year. Most of this money will be distributed to small and marginal farmers affected by the Covid-19.
The WB funds will also help dairy farmers to purchase modern equipment for milk selling center and processing. Shops and government land will be provided in each district and upazila.
The DLS planned to provide the incentive and advantage to their well-wishers but not the real dairy farmers, said BDFA GS Shah Emran.
