To further encourage cashless payment, the mobile financial service Nagad has arranged smart payments for buying and selling at qurbani cattle haats. The service has been launched at the haats this year as part of building a Smart Bangladesh.

Customers who pay for animals through Nagad will get the highest level of security as well as attractive gifts. Ten smart cattle haats have opened in two cities, on a Bangladesh Bank initiative and managed by Dhaka North City Corporation and Chattogram City Corporation.

The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock and the Bangladesh Dairy Farmers Association are giving overall support in running the smart haats. Nagad booths and trained staff are at the smart haats to provide various services to buyers and sellers.

Nagad has taken the lead in every government initiative to expand cashless transactions, the company says. As part of that, it has been given responsibility for ensuring cashless transactions at two smart haats in Dhaka: Gabtoli, the country's largest cattle market, and Bosila, another large qurbani haat in the capital.

Customers who buy or sell animals worth a set amount through Nagad at these two haats will receive T-shirts, caps, mugs, key rings and pens, with gifts available at different transaction levels.

Ahead of the smart haats, Nagad ran awareness activities among farmers in different regions. Many farmers with trade licences have also been given entrepreneur accounts, so they can sell animals at the haat and go home without carrying any cash.

Farmers who receive payment in their Nagad account can cash out at minimum cost from the Nagad booth at the haat, and buyers can cash in at the booth as needed. A farmer paid in cash can also cash the money into his own Nagad account or send it to someone at home to keep it safe. Those without a Nagad account can easily open one at the booth.

Mohammad Zahidul Islam, head of Nagad's public relations department, said Nagad always comes forward first with any digital initiative. "We are working together with the government on its initiative to bring 75 per cent of the country's transactions under cashless payment by 2027."

He said Nagad has been working from the start to make this Bangladesh Bank initiative a success. "We are trying to stand by farmers and buyers to make such a noble initiative succeed. We believe cashless transactions through Nagad can give customers the most security and ensure convenience. This cashless process will prevent the use of counterfeit notes and play an important role in curbing related crimes."

Besides the smart haats, online buying and selling of sacrificial animals has also picked up significantly this year, as in the past few years, with thousands of animals to be traded. Nagad says it is customers' first choice as a payment method for these online purchases too.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.