Centres opened to help farmers get fair price of products

Agritech startup Fashol Dotcom Limited and SAFE have collaborated to establish three Farmers' Centres in the Barendra region, notably in Natore, Rajshahi, and Bogura districts, to address the challenges farmers encounter when selling their produce, according to a press release on Friday.

The Fashol Farmers' Centres were opened last Monday in the presence of nearly 300 farmers. Among those who attended the event were SAFE founder Arifa Jesmin Kanika, Fashol founder and CEO Sakib Hossain, SAFE co-founder Nasima Akter Nisha, Singra Municipality Mayor Md Jannatul Ferdous, Fashol co-founder Mamunur Rashid, agricultural officers from the three sub-districts and Fashol's Head of Distribution Nasir Uddin.

According to government agricultural officers, these three sub-districts are home to about 400,000 farmers. These farmers sell their agricultural products to buyers across the country via multiple intermediaries, where they are frequently subjected to uncertainty and receive low prices for their production.

Farmers can use these Fashol Farmers' Centres to send their products all across the country without the need for intermediaries.

Currently, around 25 to 30 per cent of produce is lost during transportation to customers; however, with supply chain technology and Fashol's direct supply chain, this may be reduced to less than 4 per cent, they said.

SAFE founder Arifa Jesmin stated that Bangladesh is an agricultural country. However, the amount of fertile land available for agriculture decreases yearly.

To boost production on available land, the essential actions must be implemented. In this regard, SAFE has collaborated with Fashol to help farmers develop in agriculture. These Fashol Centres provide farmers with a wide range of services.

Farmers can sell their agricultural products at good prices at these centres, receive 24-hour agricultural assistance, purchase contemporary technology, and obtain the correct seeds to boost output.

According to the press release, Fashol Dotcom Limited, one of the country's major vegetable supply chain networks, has launched a new project to bring about necessary improvements in the agriculture industry.

Company's CEO Sakib Hossain said they had intended to establish 300 Fashol Centres by the end of 2025, each connected via Fashol's supply chain technology. These Farmers' Centres will allow around 1 million farmers in more than 40 districts to sell their products.