A timely initiative to help agri-product growers

Newspapers reported that postal division will help the farmers who are facing unbearable losses being unable to market their produce in cities like Dhaka due to lack of transport facilities following countrywide shutdown. From now, the post office will carry vegetables and other perishables in its vans on their way back to Dhaka under the banner of ‘Krishok Bondhu Dak Seba.’ The transport service will be provided without any delivery fee. The service has already been introduced between Dhaka and Manikganj on Saturday. Nearly two tonnes of vegetables were transported from Manikganj’s Jithka Bazar to Dhaka Gabtoli agricultural market on the first day. Postal service officials said the initiative has been taken at a time when the cry for prices by growers continue to get louder as buyers from cities, such as Dhaka, cannot visit producing regions to buy vegetables due to lack of transport.
Presently, the number of truck and other goods-carrying vehicles running on the streets is not adequate in comparison to the vast demand. Thousands of producers — from watermelon to banana and from pumpkin to fish – are now passing hard days for not being able to sell their products. Even if the trucks are available, the fares are too high to them. So, this initiative will help get farming products easily by the common people even during the shutdown. On the other hand, the growers will also be able a good price of their products. To avail the facility, the farmers will have to take their produce to the local post office through the local agricultural officials to get on board the Dhaka-bound vehicles. The postal division never carried perishables but this time it has come forward thinking the miseries of common people. We do appreciate the outstanding efforts of the postal division at this crucial time.
We also hope the ministry concerned would take initiative to expand the service using the vast network of the postal department so that people of all corners of the country would get the benefit.