President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday described farmers as the “true and finest people” of the country and stressed the need for an effective marketing system to ensure fair prices for agricultural products and better returns for farmers.

“They are the warriors who built the nation,” he said when an eight-member delegation of Bangladesh Farmers’ Association, led by its president Md Siddiqur Rahman, paid a courtesy call on him at Bangabhaban this afternoon.

He also urged farmers to become more proactive, aware and vigilant in protecting their interests.

The other members of the delegation were Md Abdul Jalil (Litchi Kitab), Md Hasan Ali (Dragon Hasan), Beli Begum (Vegetable Beli), Md Abu Taleb Zowardar (Fish Taleb), Md Hafizur Rahman Mukul, Toffazzal Hossain (Polti) and Shawkat Alam.

During the meeting, President Mirza Fakhrul stressed the need for a central national organisation representing farmers, irrespective of political affiliation, ideology or viewpoint, to safeguard their overall interests and promote their development.

He assured the farmers of all-out cooperation and advised them to establish communication with the agriculture and commerce ministers as well as the highest levels of the government.

He said an initiative would be taken to introduce the President’s Agriculture Award to honour and encourage farmers for their innovations and outstanding contributions to the agricultural sector.

He also urged them to turn their interests and demands into a nationwide movement.

“The agricultural sector is the most positive sector of the country,” the President said, attributing the manifold increase in crop production to farmers’ hard work, sweat, development of new high-yielding varieties and innovations, and proper use of agricultural technologies.

He said farmers do not engage in corruption but instead contribute to the progress of society and the state.

The President said the current government has introduced a new scheme for ensuring fair prices of agricultural products and improving farmers’ livelihoods, with Tk 3,000 crore already allocated for the scheme.

He said, like former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, the incumbent government has also waived agricultural loans of up to Tk 10,000, including interest, for farmers.

Mentioning various government measures, including providing agricultural loans on easy terms and at lower interest rates, he expressed hope that farmers would soon benefit from these initiatives.

The delegation placed a number of demands before the President, including ensuring fair prices for agricultural products, providing interest-free loans, observing a Farmers’ Day, introducing national awards to recognise farmers, launching crop insurance, ensuring farmers’ representation on district and upazila law-and-order committees, protecting farmers from lightning strikes and snakebites, and ensuring affordable supplies of agricultural inputs.

The President said fruits, agricultural products and processed food produced in Bangladesh have significant demand and enormous potential in international markets.

He urged members of the association to come forward to export agricultural and processed products by using modern technologies.

He also stressed the need for initiatives to establish agro-processing industries and modern cold-storage facilities, as well as the use of modern solar panels on farms.

The President also assured the delegation that steps would be taken to consider reducing interest rates on agricultural loans, particularly loans taken from NGOs.

During the meeting, the president of the Farmers’ Association informed the President about an initiative to honour farmers aged over 70 for their contributions to agriculture in Ishwardi and to organise a fair showcasing modern agricultural products and promoting their commercialisation.

He invited the President to attend the event as the chief guest. The President expressed his interest in attending the fair.

The President’s secretaries were present at the meeting.