“Food for Nation” platform of Bangladesh Computer Council is moving forward with startups

Shohag Chandra Das :  At a time when deadly coronavirus infections are on the rise around the world, a platform called “Food for Nation” has been set up by the “Innovation Design and Entrepreneurship Academy (iDEA) project” of Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) under the ICT Division using the country’s information and technology. A number of IT-based startup organizations are connected to this platform of iDEA project. The platform takes initiative to collect and supply agricultural products from the farmers of the country from one end to the other at a fair price. From the very beginning of this activity, many organizations are working including Chaldal, Truck Lagbe, Digital Arotdar.

As part of the ongoing activities, “Digital Arotdar” aims to ensure fair prices to the farmers, It purchased agro-products directly from them today from Shaperchan village under Harirampur Upazila of Manikganj and supplies the country’s online marketing shop Chaldal and Supershop Minabazar. As a result, the farmers are getting the price of Dhaka in the cropland and this is saving their labor hours, transportation cost and at the same time, the farmers are very happy as there is no middleman race. The government post division provides their transportation free of cost in the activities of “Digital Arotdar”. This makes it easier to deliver the farmer’s crop directly from the land to the buyer. Hon’ble Minister for Posts and Telecommunications Mustafa Jabbar inaugurated ‘Krishak Bandhu Postal Service‘ to deliver agricultural products to the capital free of cost in this lockdown time of Corona situation. This initiative was inaugurated from Jhitka Bazar in Harirampur Upazila of Manikganj district at 10 am on Saturday 9^th May 2020 through video conferencing from his official residence on Bailey Road in Dhaka. He said that the post division would continue to provide this transport service during the Corona period and at the same time wished them well in taking such initiatives.

The Hon’ble Minister said that the Hon’ble Prime Minister has given special importance to the agricultural sector to keep our agricultural production active and vibrant. On behalf of the Post division, we would like to take part in the implementation of this intention. We are realizing that the farmers are most at risk with the agricultural products produced by the farmers due to the stoppage of traffic in the lockdown. Farmers are producing products but are not able to market these timely. Vegetable perishable products cannot be kept for long. We are trying to stay by the side of the marginal farmers by delivering their products to the capital Dhaka free of cost.

The Secretary of Posts and Telecommunications Division Md. Nur-Ur-Rahman, the Director-General of Postal Directorate of Bangladesh Post Office Sudhangshu Shekhar Bhadra were also present on the occasion online. Founder Nurun Nahar and co-founder Kamrul Ahsan of “Digital Arotdar” were present on the ground at this event.

The Director (Posts) of Directorate Of Posts SM Harunur Rashid, the Deputy Postmaster General (Postal Division Postal, Dhaka) Md. Masud Parvez, the Deputy Postmaster General (Senior Postmaster, Dhaka GPO) Khandaker Shahinur Sabbir, Harirampur Upazila Agriculture Officer Zahirul Haque, Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sabina Yasmin, Assistant Postmaster General Branch Officer (planning) Shankar Kumar Chakraborty, the Head of Market Development Md. Solaiman Sukhon and many more were there at the time of inauguration.

The iDEA project under the banner of “Startup Bangladesh” is adopting a special strategy to prepare for the difficult situation in the country by coordinating the services of various startups under the iDEA project. Syed Mojibul Huq, Project Director (Additional Secretary) of the iDEA Project, hopes that this new platform of startups will play an important role.