Rights activists, consumers, and traders have called for greater collaboration among government agencies to effectively monitor agricultural markets and control essential commodity prices by dismantling syndicates.
The appeal was made during a discussion, organised by the non-governmental organisation Policy Link at Jashore IT Park on Saturday.
Participants emphasised the importance of streamlining the agricultural product licensing process, simplifying license renewal procedures, and ensuring the implementation of the National Agricultural Policy 2023 and the Agricultural Marketing Act 2018.
Speakers urged the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority, Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, Department of Agricultural Marketing, and local administration to work together in monitoring agricultural markets.
They highlighted the significant price disparity between farm gate and consumer level, noting that farmers were not receiving fair prices for their produce.
Masud Karim, director general of the DAM, said that the government had taken several steps to stabilise essential commodity prices.
‘Three hundred storage facilities have already been built across the country to preserve food items, with another 600 facilities under construction,’ he said.
Addressing challenges in onion production, he stated, ‘Although we produce enough onions, inadequate preservation facilities force us to rely on imports.’
Other speakers included deputy director of the DAM Shahnaz Begum, senior officer Jahidul Islam, and Policy Link’s senior manager Ashik Billah.
Local farmers and traders also participated in the discussion, sharing their experiences and concerns.