Coronavirus: Sanem calls for interest-free loans for farmers
Dr Selim said the ongoing crisis demands putting the highest priority on agriculture and food security
The South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (Sanem) has demanded interest-free loan for farmers instead of the four percent rate.
It must also be ensured that only genuine farmers who need it have access to the loan, its Executive Director Dr Selim Raihan said.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, he presented three other suggestions for the country's agricultural sector in the present context of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
He said only disbursement of loans is not enough.
"The supply chain of agricultural materials has been disrupted due to the current crisis and the ongoing lockdown. Thus, farmers' access to agricultural materials and tools must be ensured," said Dr Selim.
To address the issue of the supply chain of agricultural materials and mobility of agricultural workers, he suggested an inter-ministry collaboration among the health ministry, the agriculture ministry, the home ministry, and the road transport and bridges ministry.
"The local administration, local businessmen, and the network of agricultural workers also need to collaborate in this regard. A specific health protocol for agricultural workers should be developed," said Dr Selim.
His last point is about ensuring that farmers get fair price for their crops.
"Even in the case of a price hike of paddy and rice, mill owners become the beneficiary, not the farmers. In the context of the current crisis, we believe, this problem must be addressed.
"Since the local administration is now very active at the grassroot level, during the ongoing crisis, in collaboration with the local administration, it is necessary to increase substantially the amount of government procurement of paddy directly from the farmers at a fair price," Dr Selim said.
"In this regard, we suggest, the government warehouses are utilised to the maximum. If the government warehouses fall short, then private warehouses should be rented by the government."
Dr Selim also said the ongoing crisis demands putting the highest priority on agriculture and food security.
