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Business management including access to market information and value chain strategy through collective initiatives benefited nearly 10,000 farmers in improving their socio-economic conditions, reports BSS.
The farmers being organised have created self-managed Community Business Incubators (CBIs) under the supervision of CARE Bangladesh to be involved in cooperative movement in increasing their production, for generating savings and getting more profit.
Deputy Country Director of CARE Bangladesh Hasan M Mazumdar said his organisation has so far given support to 134 CBIs at the villages of seven north and south-east districts including Dinajpur, Rangpur, Rajshahi and Cox's Bazar.
"Three blocks of action including supplies, production and marketing, collectively known as a value chain strategy, needed to be carried out in any business for success," he added.
The farmers of the CBIs have successfully established the value chain strategy into their various business activities such as production of vegetables, egg, milk, and fish along with cattle rearing, Hasan said.
Initially CBIs designed a detail yearly business plan and divided themselves into three categories- supply, production and marketing.
As a result, they are not being cheated while purchasing the raw materials and getting better selling prices. The members of CBIs are getting micro credit with six percent interest from local banks and NGOs in their respective areas.
The farmers of 'Napit para', 35 kilometers off from Dinajpur Town, said that in the last fiscal year the six CBIs of the district saved Tk 0.21 million, which could be doubled, if they would get more financial assistance and direct contacts with the buyers.
The farmers also stressed the need for training on book keeping and building up regular communications and relationship with different businessmen including the dealers of seeds, fertiliser and cattle feed.
Each CBI has 70 to 75 farmers with equal ratio of male and female. Among them, 60 percent are very poor and 16 percent have no land.
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