Govt to set up 520 rural bazaars

The government has initiated a project to set up 520 rural markets (bazaars) in 491 upazilas across the country.

Objective of the project is to ease marketing of farm and non-farm products of marginal farmers.

The project focuses on ensuring proper business environment at the rural level alongside creating short-term and long-term employment opportunities.

Construction of the rural markets is essential to bring dynamism in the rural economy through the production of farm produces and their marketing, said Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Saturday while talking about the project.

"The rural bazaars will have separate zones for women so they can easily sell and buy agriculture produces smoothly," he added.

Officials said at least one three-storey Rural Bazaar will be built in each of the 491 upazilas each having 4,000 to 10,000 square feet of space.

Once the project is implemented, the rural markets will facilitate marketing of produces by the farmers, selling and buying of agriculture outputs at fair prices, expansion of trade and commerce, reduction of the transportation cost, creating employment opportunities and thus help alleviating poverty.

Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) is entrusted with the responsibility of implementing the "Rural Bazaars Infrastructures Development Project" by June 2020 involving Taka 1,730 crore, as the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has given final nod to the project for implementation.

Regarding the project, planning commission opined that the livelihood and economy of rural people is mainly depended on agriculture. So, development of rural markets is urgent to expedite the rural economy through marketing of agricultural produces.

According to a BSS report, the marginal farmers and small entrepreneurs are being deprived of the facility of rural hats or bazaars and, as a result, they are forced to sell their produces to middlemen without getting reasonable prices.