Farmers in Golachipa and Golkhali unions of Patuakhali are now relieved as their dream of receiving a fair price for their products is becoming a reality. This positive change is being made possible through the “Pathways to Prosperity for Extremely Poor People – EU (PPEPP-EU)” project. The project, jointly funded by the European Union, PKSF, and the World Trade Organization, is an effort to ensure fair prices for local farmers’ productions.
Despite the improvement in productivity, the farmers were deprived of fair prices due to the lack of a proper marketing system. To solve this problem, Agricultural Service and Agricultural Product Marketing centres were set up at two places in the project areas on a priority basis in 2024; one in Kalikapur village of Golachipa Union and the other in Kismat Haridevpur village of Golkhali Union.
An agricultural entrepreneur is running each of these centres. The project has provided financial assistance for the construction of houses and the purchase of materials for the centres. The centres are not just places to sell produce but integrated service centres for farmers. Farmers can directly sell their agricultural, fisheries and livestock products at the centres. They also receive fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, agricultural machinery, fish feed, poultry feed and other essentials and exchange views and solutions on agriculture, fisheries and livestock.
The agricultural marketing centre in Kismat Haridevpur village is receiving positive responses from the community. Wholesalers from different districts of the country buy the betel leaf produced by local farmers from here three days a week. Truckloads of betel leaf are being distributed in different parts of the country, including Dhaka and Sylhet.
“This centre has given us a fair price and encouraged our production. We can now sell our products directly to wholesalers, which was never imagined before,” said Ali Asgar, a local farmer. Another entrepreneur said, “The farmers are not only selling the produce but also getting the necessary materials easily from the centre. This has boosted the confidence of the farmers.”
These centres are not just a marketing platform but a successful model for improving the rural economy and livelihood of farmers. They have opened a new horizon for the farmers, who are getting a fair price for their produce.
