Grower markets remain idle, govt draws new plan

The government has initiated a move to transform the growers' markets in Rangpur into hubs for small agro entrepreneurs since they have been lying idle for more than a decade owing largely to farmers and wholesalers' lack of interest and a propaganda carried out by a vested group.

The markets, established in 2008 with the financial support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the government under the North-West Crops Diversification Project (NCDP) of the agriculture ministry, had aimed at allowing growers to process and sell products at a fair price, thus eliminating middlemen.

Of the 29 markets in Rangpur, Dinajpur, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh in the division, 24 were dedicated to growers so that they can sell their produce in the retail market and the rest five were for wholesale markets where farmers can sell their crops.

In the markets, there are separate areas for sorting, grading, washing and packaging crops, holding auctions, warehouses, and training centres. But the markets were abandoned within a couple of years of their launch, as farmers, mostly illiterate, did not accept the modern marketing concept.

Farmers' lack of awareness about the benefit of the markets, propaganda carried out by the middlemen who feared they would lose control over the markets, and little awareness-raising campaigns by the government rendered them useless.

Dewan Kamal Ahmed, president of the Nilphamari Growers Markets Managing Committee, and the mayor of Nilphamari municipality, says the markets were introduced without making farmers aware of the handling process and benefits, so they failed to achieve expected outcomes.

Mistrust and vested interest of the members of the market management committee also stood in the way of popularising the markets, he said.

Belal Hossain, president of the Nilphamari Boro Bazar Wholesalers Association, says most of them were confused since the introduction of the markets as they are used to running independent businesses and prefer a free atmosphere where they can compete with other traders.

"We had thought that we had to follow a number of rules and regulations to run operations in the growers' markets. So, we didn't accept the concept." 

Emdadul Haque, a farmer in Hasimpur village in Dinajpur, says a few influential people told them that they had to pay a higher charge to use the markets.

"We were concerned. So, we avoided the markets."

Atiar Rahman, president of the Nilphamari District Unit Krishok Samity, described the awareness campaigns run by the concerned government department inadequate.

"So, the vested quarter had been able to carry out propaganda against the markets successfully."

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) under the agriculture ministry say there is no government funds for the maintenance of the markets as the NCDP project ended long ago.

Anwarul Huque, divisional deputy director of the DAM in Rangpur, said, "We had launched a number of programmes to make farmers interested in the growers' markets but we did not get the expected results."

During a visit to a number of growers' markets in Nilphamari and Rangpur recently, it was found that quilt is being made in one of the markets, while a TV repair shop was set up in another, as the local offices of the DAM leased them out at a very nominal price to prevent the structures from decaying for persisting non-use.

As farmers hesitated to accept the modern marketing method, the DAM could not allow the markets to remain unutilised for long, according to Huque.

Now, the agriculture ministry is set to undertake a fresh programme to turn the markets into hubs for agro-based entrepreneurs.

"We have decided to promote small agro-based entrepreneurs. This will ultimately benefit farmers as they will be able to sell their produce at the hubs at a fair price," Huque said. 

Under the new initiative, the DAM will set up three tomato processing factories with each in Rangpur, Dinajpur and Panchagarh this year.

Shahin Alam, district marketing officer of the DAM in Rangpur, says Noorjahan Enterprise, a small-scale business entity, has expressed its intention to use the growers' market near the local truck stand to process and pack export-oriented potatoes.

ATM Ershad Alam, district marketing officer of the DAM in Nilphamari, says talks are underway with a number of small agro-based entrepreneurs.

The agency is going to ink an agreement with a nut-processing factory and a group that makes nutritious food.

Arif Hossain, the owner of the nut-processing plant, says modern facilities at the growers' markets would be useful to run agro-based small enterprises.

"Farmers will be able to sell products directly at fair prices and unemployed growers will get jobs during the lean period."