Online Desk  :  Despite government’s sincere efforts to demolish syndicate, the unholy alliance is still active in the market to manipulate the price of essentials. Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter said this while inaugurating first ever Indigenous Food and Crops Fair at Banoful Adhibashi Greenheart College premises today. “Syndicates still exist in the markets, causing price hike of essentials,” she said inaugurating the two-day fair.

Syndicates are controlling the market depriving the growers of getting fair price of their produces and compelling the consumers to pay more, she said.  Active role of middlemen creating a large gap in the price of commodities between producer and consumer levels, she added. Nagorik Uddyog and Maha Progha Education Trust jointly organized the fair to put on display different types of indigenous food crops and vegetables being produced in organic way without using pesticide and chemical fertilizer aimed at making those items popular among commoners.

Bhadanta Proghananda Mahathero, president of Maha Progha Education Trust, Prof. Dr Dilip Kumar Barua, vice chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman University, Kishoreganj and Prof. Rubayet Ferdous of Dhaka University, among others, spoke on the occasion while chief executive of Nagorik Uddyog Zakir Hossen gave the welcome address. Highlighting the government’s roles to make stable the commodity market, the adviser said the commodity market became unstable due to decline of production after devastating flood in August and September.

However, government’s quick response helped bringing the market under control. But, the syndicates are still active across the country, Farida said seeking media support against the groups. The adviser underscored the need for preserving the traditional organic foods produced in the hilly areas, saying indigenous people are producing those healthy foods through maintaining agro ecology and nature. Large scale marketing of the indigenous foods and crops can play pivotal role in country’s economic progress, she said.

Farida Akhter said the government is making stride to ensure supply of safe food to the people and preventing the producers from using antibiotic in fish, poultry and egg production. Different indigenous vegetable, food and sweetmeat items like Narkel Pitha, Gurguri Pitha, Jinuk Pitha, Samuk Pitha, most popular  dish of the indigenous people Bamboo chicken, Mungdi, a kind of noodles soup, Chicken Lackso, squid luckso, crab curry, duck meat, chapila fry and mushroom curry are being showcased at the fair. After the opening the adviser visited different stalls and talked with organizers of the fair which remains open for visitor from 10 am to 9 pm.