Naogaon Correspondent: Habibur Rahman,
Farmers have set up a vegetable shop in front of the UNO office in Manda, Naogaon, as they could not sell their field vegetables at the designated place of the Upazila Sadar Prasadpur Hat on Sunday. Meanwhile, in view of the farmers' demands, a committee headed by the Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) has been formed. The Upazila administration has ordered a report to be submitted within one working day. The farmers allege that the designated Tobazar is occupied by a syndicate of vegetable market traders. They sell different vegetables at high prices to consumers at the same price. For this, a so-called association has been formed. The officials of this association fix the price of each product before the market starts. Consumers are held hostage by this. Farmer Abdul Khalek said, "Various types of vegetables are picked from the fields and brought to Prasadpur Hat for retail sale. They sell these vegetables to consumers at much lower prices than the traders." While farmers' vegetables are in the market, the traders' sales decrease. That's why we are not allowed to set up shop in the market. We have been completely evicted since Sunday.' Another farmer, Majed Ali Molla, said, 'We have been evicted from the market in stages. We have been setting up shops with the help of local people for so long. From today, that place is no more. We are demanding a permanent place from the administration to sell our farm products.' Consumer Shahadat Hossain said that traders sell vegetables in Prasadpur market by syndicating. In this, consumers always buy vegetables at high prices. Akhtaruzzaman Al Mansur, president of Prasadpur Market Merchants' Cooperative Association Ltd., said, 'Traders sell vegetables in Prasadpur market by syndicating. I hope that the upazila administration will take measures to arrange a place to set up shops in the market to protect the interests of marginal farmers.' Belal Hossain, president of the so-called association of Prasadpur Vegetable Market, said, 'There is a shortage of space in the market. It is not possible to provide space for everyone to shop. The allegations of eviction of farmers are not correct. In this regard, Manda Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Shah Alam Mia said that after being informed about the matter, a 5-member committee headed by AC Land has been formed. Action will be taken in the light of the committee's report.
Naogaon Correspondent:-
Md. Habibur Rahman
