Bangladesh Safe Agro Food Efforts (BSAFE) Foundation has urged the government to give interest-free loans from the proposed Tk5,000 crore stimulus package for agriculture sector to boost production in a bid to overcome the Covid-19 impact.
BSAFE Foundation welcomed the government’s efforts and gave several proposals on the matter in a press release on Tuesday.
The non-profit organization pointed out that as supply chain has broken down due to the lockdown in the country, many farmers are forced to sell their produce at a lower price and the buyers are forced to buy at a higher price.
This will lead to a situation where farmers won’t be able to take out loans from the proposed stimulus package.
So, farmers should be given interest-free loan from the stimulus package and rescind the interest of previous loans, according to the foundation.
They have suggested to provide farmers and labourers with a special pass to move around the country to prevent supply chain from breaking down while maintaining the social distancing rules.
They asked the government to finalise the regulations of Boro paddy procurement and set a target of collecting 25,00,000 Metric tonnes of paddy.
They asked the local administration to arrange local kitchen markets 2-3 times a week while maintaining health regulations and social distancing.
They have also advised the government to look after the livestock and fisheries sector along with the crop sector.
They asked the government to ensure transparency in giving out loans from the proposed stimulus package for farmers.
They requested to create a local database of people receiving help from the government and provide them with cash instead of fixed sets of food so that they can choose what to buy for themselves.
They have also asked the government to set up a help desk in every unions and upazilas to make sure farmers can get their loans without any hassle.
They have also requested to put emphasis on food storage and dairy products.
