Agricultural policies, technology must put farmers at centre: Swapon

Prime Minister’s Political Adviser Zahir Uddin Swapon on Thursday called for placing farmers at the centre of agricultural policies and technological development, ensuring market security and fair prices for their produce.

He made the call while speaking as chief guest at a seminar titled “Maximising Agricultural Ecosystem Development: Integrating, Financing and Facilitating through Blockchain” at a hotel in the capital.

Swapon said discussions on the modern agricultural value chain often focused on the problems faced by intermediaries and other stakeholders, while the concerns of farmers, the primary producers, received comparatively less attention.

“Regardless of technological advances, we will continue to depend on agriculture because of the biological necessity of food consumption,” he said, adding that around 42–45% of the country’s population still depended on agriculture.

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He noted that agriculture was still viewed as an inferior profession in some sections of society, stressing that discussions on the sector would remain incomplete without recognising its strategic importance and the contribution of farmers.

Referring to the government’s agricultural initiatives, Swapon said the administration had prioritised agriculture and farmers since taking office. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had already taken various initiatives to support farmers, including the introduction of the Farmer Card, he added.

Describing agriculture as a strategically important sector for sustaining the country’s economy and GDP growth, the adviser urged domestic and international experts and policymakers to ensure that the benefits of technology reached farmers.

He called for measures to protect farmers’ production and market access, ensure fair profits and develop modern storage facilities for perishable goods. He also stressed the need for structural safeguards to prevent farmers from being exploited by intermediaries or syndicates.