UNB, Dhaka :
Rights activists at a citizens’ rally here on Friday demanded cancellation of the government’s decision of potato import and forming a ‘price commission’ to ensure the fair prices of crops.
They said, farmers do not get the fair prices of the crops they produced every year. If the government fixes the prices of crops at least 15 days before the start of harvesting through a price commission, the farmers will be able to get the fair prices of their agricultural products.
Campaign of Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (CSRL) and Oxfam Bangladesh jointly organised the rally in
front of the Jatiya Press Club to protest the government’s recent decision to import potato.
Jatiya Krisak Jote general secretary Anwarul Islam Babu, Bangladesh Bhumihin Samity general secretary Subal Sarkar, Bangladesh Farmers Federation general secretary Jayed Iqbal Khan, Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan (Bapa) member ABM Anisuzzman and Nagorik Sanghati general secretary Sharifuzzaman Sharif, among others, spoke at the rally.
They said, there is no potato crisis in the country as cold storages have enough potato in stock. More importantly, they said, the harvesting of potato will begin soon. Under the circumstances, a section of businessmen is going to import potato from India, which could be treated as an anti-farmers activity, they added. Any potato import will cause a serious loss to potato framers, the rights activists said adding that the new potato is unlikely to get space in cold storages as those are already full.
Rights activists at a citizens’ rally here on Friday demanded cancellation of the government’s decision of potato import and forming a ‘price commission’ to ensure the fair prices of crops.
They said, farmers do not get the fair prices of the crops they produced every year. If the government fixes the prices of crops at least 15 days before the start of harvesting through a price commission, the farmers will be able to get the fair prices of their agricultural products.
Campaign of Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (CSRL) and Oxfam Bangladesh jointly organised the rally in
front of the Jatiya Press Club to protest the government’s recent decision to import potato.
Jatiya Krisak Jote general secretary Anwarul Islam Babu, Bangladesh Bhumihin Samity general secretary Subal Sarkar, Bangladesh Farmers Federation general secretary Jayed Iqbal Khan, Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan (Bapa) member ABM Anisuzzman and Nagorik Sanghati general secretary Sharifuzzaman Sharif, among others, spoke at the rally.
They said, there is no potato crisis in the country as cold storages have enough potato in stock. More importantly, they said, the harvesting of potato will begin soon. Under the circumstances, a section of businessmen is going to import potato from India, which could be treated as an anti-farmers activity, they added. Any potato import will cause a serious loss to potato framers, the rights activists said adding that the new potato is unlikely to get space in cold storages as those are already full.
