Local community driven initiatives-2 - Building Warehouse, Cold Storage etc by united effort of local people: can change the food production scenario

[Suman Chowdhury Mony]

 In every year there are huge production of crops and vegetables in many countries. Developed countries utilize all of their production, but it is difficult for the developing and underdeveloped countries. Poor economy, lack of proper planning, corruptions, waste of money, political unrest etc. are the main obstacles for those countries.

In Bangladesh, every year, farmers produce a large amount of crops and vegetables in several places. But many times they don’t get the logical price of their productions because of lack of sufficient market linkage and storage facilities in every rural area. In many countries, like Bangladesh, there are lack of sufficient storage facilities like Warehouse, Cold Storage, etc. for properly preserving the crops, vegetable and fruits in every rural area. Also the farmers don’t know the economically profitable alternative technology of preserving a system of those food items. There are some Warehouse, Cold Storage, Food preserving and processing zone, etc. in those countries, but many of them are totally unusable and some have poor maintenance and others are owned by the middlemen. In addition, corruptions are one of the main problems of those countries.

For that reason, when the farmers produce the huge number of crops, vegetable, fruits, etc. they can’t preserve these specially the products get rotten. So, either those products are destroyed or rotten or the farmers sell those products to the middle man in a very low price at that time. Most of the time it is hard for them to earn the production cost. Though there are huge demands of those products in every area of a country, but the mischievous middlemen take the opportunity to buy those food items in a very cheap price. Because they know that there are no place and capacity of the poor farmers to store these products and have no market linkage and market access at that time. On the other hand, at first the middle men store those food items in their Warehouse and Cold Storage, some of them are processed and the rest amount are sold in the demanding areas of cities and towns in high price by making an artificial crisis of foods.

In this way, many farmers can’t make profit, though they produce huge amount of crops, vegetables, fruits, etc. Sometimes they can’t earn the real production cost and lose money. The customers also lose money. So, what we say- the curse of bumper production?

Like Bangladesh, farmers in many countries, sometimes show their agitation by throwing crops, vegetables, etc. on the road, sometime arrange procession, road block programs, etc. They demand to establish Warehouse, Cold Storage etc. for properly storing and preserving the crops, vegetable and fruits in every rural area. Many political parties, social organizations, civil societies, etc. support their movement rather than showing the solution. And the farmers and rural area-people do not know the power of their unity to solve all their problems by taking united initiatives.

Everyone knows that the developing and under developed countries have poor economy, which is the biggest obstacle of the country’s development. Several types of corruptions are another main obstacle of proper development. The Governments of those countries have no ability to do development work in every area at a time and because of several types of corruptions they also waste their money. So it is not possible for them to establish Warehouse, Cold Storage etc. in every rural area at a time.

But it is more than easy to the farmers and rural people to establish these types of storage in their area by taking unite efforts. They need not to wait for the Government’s initiatives! If they wish, they can be united, form a group or organization; create a social fund by collecting money from the local people. They can also collect several types of goods, materials and gradually gather social assets and saving money for creating big fund. They should do all works under that organization by creating policies and guidelines which are suitable and friendly for them. The local rich men, NGOs, social and business organizations can also help them by donating money, materials, etc. or giving them loans. After gathering necessary money they will establish Warehouse, Cold Storage, etc. in their area by using that fund. Voluntarily the educated and technology sound people, scientists should come to help them in establishing these types of storage house and food processing zone. They can also share and train them with the techniques of using alternative technologies for preserving the system of various types of food items. The Government can give them some financial and administrative supports; even it can give them usable land for establishing those types of storage houses. Every work should be done under a friendly policy framework. The users pay money for using it and also maintain it. Local NGOs or social organizations also create this type of establishment not for profit, but to help the poor farmers.

The Government of developing and underdeveloped countries, especially in Asia and Africa should encourage these types of social enterprises. The national and international NGOs, donors and voluntary organizations can aware the rural people to do it and encourage by supporting them; give them fund, technologies, materials, etc. Microfinance or financial institutions of those countries may give flexible loans with low interest rate to the social groups created by the farmers and rural people under a friendly loan policy. Also Government, NGOs and other social organizations should strengthen the value chain system and take initiatives to make market linkage for the rural farmers.

If local people in every rural area can be able to build these types of social groups and establish Warehouse, Cold Storage, food preserving and processing zone, etc. in their area and get the usable technology for preserving the system of various types of food items, then the total scenario will be changed. Farmers will get logical prices and preserve the excess productions. Even the customers of several places including cities and towns will buy those items in logical prices. No crops, vegetables, fruits and other food items will be destroyed and country will properly use their most of the production. The farmers will export their excess productions to the foreign countries by using the proper channel of Government. No farmer will lose their production cost. And they will always try to produce a huge amount of crops, vegetables, fruits etc.

The Government, national & local NGOs and civil societies should take awareness programs for the local people to do several types of development works by taking their own initiatives. They should know that they don’t need to wait for the Government, but by taking their own initiatives they can solve many social problems, they can create a better society, can eradicate poverty, do infrastructural development works etc.

Local community driven development initiatives can change local economy, can do more local development and in this the way the country will be developed smoothly!

Community Driven Development – Happy People, Happy Country.

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