Ispahani Agro Ltd (IAL) signed a Market Actor Agreement (MAA) on Thursday with the US non-profit international economic development organisation ACDI/VOCA to act as a partner for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Feed the Future Bangladesh Rice and Diversified Crops (RDC) activity.
The deal will facilitate the development of market systems that will provide farmers in south west Bangladesh with improved access to inputs, markets and rice production advisory services.
Fawzia Yasmeen, director of IAL and Tim Russell, chief of Party RDC signed the MAA on behalf of their respective organisations. Officials of Ispahani Agro Ltd and RDC project were present at the event, said a press statement.
IAL will use a ‘One Stop Service Centre’ model to support farmers produce aromatic and fine grain rice for their premium quality rice brand. This model will strengthen distribution channels for agricultural inputs (seeds and bio-pesticides) and establish a crop collection process at upazila level in FtF zone.
Through the ‘One Stop Service Centre’, IAL will improve the technical knowledge and skills of small holder farmers and other value chain actors through training programs, mentoring by IAL technical staff and links to local service providers.
