Hortex makes 18,000 agro entrepreneurs

A government value-chain development initiative has generated more than 18,000 agro entrepreneurs in the past five years, boosting farm trade in 30 districts.

Hortex Foundation jointly with the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) conducted the five-year project on 'value-chain development (VCD) of selected high-value crops.

The National Agricultural Technology Programme Phase II (NATP-02) project funded the initiative that ended last June.

Hortex picked 30 pilot upazilas covering 22 districts across the country for developing a value chain of aromatic rice, vegetables, mango and other high-value, export-oriented crops, said officials.

Lokman Hakim, a farmer under Abdulpur union in Chirirbandar of Dinajpur, told the FE that they have developed a producer organisation involving 60 members.

"We are producing aromatic rice like BRRI dhan 34, Kataribhog and vegetables like tomato, pointed gourd, bitter gourd, advanced variety of potato and so on."

Hortex provided technical and financial support in the initial stage in 2019, he added.

"We have got a pickup van at a 50-per cent incentive from Hortex, which is being used for the producer organisation (PO)," said Mr Hakim.

"We have been able to have an office-cum-storehouse at Abdulpur with our own funds from where 620 farmers are getting access to city markets."

He said the Chirirbandar PO delivered more than 15 tonnes of aromatic rice to city-dwellers and exporters through Hortex Foundation's online platform.

Mitul Kumar Saha, managing director (in-charge) of Hortex Foundation, said the key objective of the activities was to "improve smallholder farmers' access to markets".

"The project's key achievement is to develop a commodity collection and marketing centre (CCMC) and a collection point (CP) in every upazila by farmers themselves," according to him.

CCMCs and CPs are being used for their overall trading, office and other interactions, said Mr Saha.

He said every PO has got a four-wheeler pickup at a 50-per cent incentive, which has cut their transport cost on a large scale.

Every PO has a cooperative committee involving 29 members and it has an initial target to engage 400-600 members.

"But most of the POs now have above 600 farmer members," added Mr Saha.

"We have been able to develop a sustainable value chain through a Tk 220-million allocation from NATP-02."

Follow-up activities are also going on to keep the POs active even after the closure of the project time.

Golzar Hossain, secretary of Baladipukur POCMCC Cooperative Samity at Rangpur's Mithapukur, said above 630 farmers are now selling potato, pointed gourd, leafy, mango and others through their sales centre.

"We supplied 360 tonnes of potato last season. Of them, 50 per cent were purchased by Rangpur-based exporters who send the item to Nepal and Malaysia," he added.

About entrepreneurship, Mr Saha said the foundation has generated nearly 18,000 entrepreneurs through the value-chain development process.

The POs under the project have been registered under the Department of Cooperatives and their collaborative efforts have been benefitting all the targeted farmers in every upazila.

The project also develops common interest group (CIG) farmers, local business facilitators (LBFs), micro- and small local processors in the areas of VCD, fresh produce marketing, improved post-harvest management (PHM) practices and other relevant aspects.

According to Hortex, a total of 43,670 tonnes of produce have so far been traded by POs while 2,633 tonnes been exported.

tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com