United News of Bangladesh

Agriculture Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid on Wednesday told parliament that a digital platform titled ‘Smart Agriculture Market’ will be developed to directly connect farmers, wholesalers, retailers, entrepreneurs, and consumers, ensuring transparency and fair pricing. The Agriculture Minister said this while replying to a starred tabled question from opposition lawmaker elected from Netrakona-5 Masum Mostafa. He said the government has undertaken a series of initiatives to modernise the agriculture sector, increase production, and ensure fair prices for farmers through the use of advanced technologies and market reforms. “High-value and high-yielding crop varieties are being developed to boost production through agricultural modernisation. At the same time, farmers are being supported to cultivate these crops efficiently,” he said. He said the government has introduced modern, data-driven precision agriculture to reduce production costs and increase farmers’ income. Technologies such as remote sensing, artificial intelligence, drones, and nanotechnology will be incorporated to transform agriculture into a smart, efficient, and sustainable sector, said the minister To ensure fair prices for agricultural produce alongside increased production, Amin Ur Rashid said the government has adopted several measures. The Minister said that on the first day of the Bengali New Year, Pahela Baishakh, the Prime Minister inaugurated the pre-piloting of the Farmer Card in 11 upazilas. “Among the ten services embedded in the card, one key benefit is enabling farmers to sell their produce at fair prices.” Under the Partner Project, he said one-stop service hubs will be established to provide agricultural inputs, advisory services, collection points, marketing facilities, and washing services. Additionally, 25-member Farmer Business Schools are being formed, bringing together farmers, agri-entrepreneurs, and traders to help ensure fair pricing through collective action, he added. The Minister also said that seed prices produced by contracted growers under Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) are being fixed in alignment with local market rates and production costs to guarantee fair returns to farmers.