Responding to high prices of farm produce in the markets, Agriculture Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid has said production costs are relatively higher in the monsoon season, when vegetables are also harder to grow. Farmers' production costs and livelihoods have to be taken into account, he said: "Farmers have stomachs too, they have families. They have to survive."

The minister spoke on 18 August at a press conference on expanding facilities at the airport, including the cargo village, cold storage and cool rooms, to boost exports of agricultural products.

Describing his own experience, he said: "I do my shopping with a bag every day. Mohakhali bazar is my regular market. I go to the market every day, and there is always a bag in my car."

"The prices of farm produce now reflect the rainy season," he said. "Growing vegetables in particular is not easy in this season. If water collects, the plants die. And the cost of production is a bit higher."

Citing green chillies as an example, he said a shade has to be built, which is costly. "Just look at how much it costs to grow a kilo of bitter gourd," he said.

Stressing the need to match production with demand to control prices, the minister said production of farm produce still cannot be properly regulated. For this reason, steps are being taken to calculate production and demand more accurately through farmer cards.

He said the government is also moving ahead with the idea of mini cold storage to cut farmers' costs. If crops can be stored in a mini cold store close to where they are grown, transport costs will fall. "Farmers will carry their produce on their shoulders or heads to a cold store in their own village. There is no transport cost, so their costing comes down. We are moving forward with this concept," he said.

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