The government has set a target of building 80 farmers' mini cold stores in 40 upazilas of 20 districts to strengthen crop storage and cut dependence on imports, Agriculture and Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid told parliament on Wednesday, Ekattor TV reports. He was answering a question from M Shahidul Islam Bakul, MP for Faridpur-4, during question time.
The stores are being built under the Mini Cold Storage for Farmers for Climate-Resilient Agriculture project, the minister said, and 60 of them are already complete.
Under a second project, on raising farmers' incomes by spreading affordable cold storage technology to cope with climate risk, the target of 100 mini cold stores in 54 upazilas of 26 districts has been met in full, he said.
A larger plan is in preparation. To modernise crop storage and marketing, a project on raising farmers' incomes through storage, value addition and marketing using natural and environment-friendly technology is being prepared, with plans for 5,000 stores across the country, each holding 20 tonnes.
The Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) now has 31 cold stores, the minister said, including a 1,000-tonne seed potato store in Faridpur Sadar, and has no plans to build new ones.
In the minister's answer, the projects' stated aims are storing farm produce, reducing import dependence and raising farmers' incomes. The report is by Ekattor TV's staff correspondent.
Source: Ekattor TV
Comments
(0)