BIG PROGRESS IN BANGLADESH While we settle down to cope with the long-haul of COVID-19 in Europe, it’s encouraging to be able to report on some current livestock farming progress in Bangladesh, especially as the farmers concerned clearly started a long way back in their drive for improvement. The story also highlights support given by an unnamed feed company. According to information released by the international development


organisation, Practical Action, women livestock farmers in Bangladesh are currently ‘thriving’, thanks to an injection of practical training and assistance in relation to connections with local authorities and the private sector. Abu Saif Ansari, Manager of Business Development for Practical


Action, says that the livestock sector is growing steadily in Bangladesh, creating income opportunities for new and existing farmers, even though basic information about things like animal care and animal feed remains scarce. Many farmers, he says, depend on help from government- employed livestock officers, but such people only have limited time and resources and are often unable to offer bespoke, timely advice. Getting started as a livestock farmer is expensive anywhere in


the world, a fact which puts it out of reach for many people. This is especially true in Bangladesh and even more so for women farmers. For them, getting financial support can be particularly difficult, as women in Bangladesh are not expected to be financially independent. Even if a woman farmer is able to get a loan, therefore, simple tasks like finding quality feed and keeping animals healthy are difficult without the right skills and connections. With this in mind, Practical Action started working with a local micro-


finance institute three years ago to establish the Livestock Business Centre in Faridpur, Bangladesh, specifically to support women farmers. Today, the centre’s staff help women get loans so they can get their businesses off the ground. They also share knowledge about cattle rearing techniques and disease prevention, as well as giving business advice.


FEED COMPANY PARTNERSHIP The Faridpur organisation works with government-employed livestock officers to help them get their important messages to farmers more quickly and accurately than was previously possible. In addition, the centre has formed a partnership with a ‘leading livestock feed company’ to enable the country’s farmers to buy ‘high-quality feed at a good price’. As a result, with this package of financial help, new practical skills,


business know-how and access to quality feed, the women farmers are finding that they’re able to grow profitable businesses. Three years on from the foundation of the centre, 638 women farmers have signed up as members. They pay a small fee for membership, which helps to make the project self-sufficient. “Over time, we’ve adapted and expanded our services to better


serve farmers,” said Practical Action. “For example, we’ve started including agricultural skills in our training programme, to help the many farmers who grow crops alongside their livestock business. “In addition, during the ongoing pandemic, our focus has been on


making sure that animal feed is still available so farmers can keep their animals well fed and healthy. We’ve also been helping them interpret government advice and working to prevent the spread of the virus by encouraging more stringent hygiene measures.”


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At the time of writing (late August), the organisation was developing


on a new online trading platform, designed to enable the farmers to advertise their animals for sale. It’s hoped this will open the way to new markets. An inspiring story indeed, and reminder that our ‘build back better’ objectives in Europe always need to be kept in perspective.


AND THEN THERE’S BREXIT I’ve avoided any mention of Brexit in recent articles, simply because the seriousness of COVID-19 drove the issue well into the background. As we get closer to the cliff edge, however, we probably do need to contemplate what still needs to be settled during the final four months of 2020. The simple answer to that is ‘just about everything’, but we should try to be a bit more constructive than that. We keep being told, after all, about the many great free trade


deals that are heading our way, once the UK is free of EU rules and regulations. Let’s have a look at where we are on that promise, courtesy of a checklist and commentary from Andersons, the major UK-based Farm Business Consultants. First – the US. The talking on this deal has begun but there’s really


little of any substance to report as yet. The key issue in terms of agri-food is the threat posed by permitting imports from the US which do not meet the standards that British farmers currently adhere to. Second – Japan. Talking is also underway here. Japan recently


concluded a free trade agreement (FTA) with the EU, of course, so the British challenge now is to get a deal which is that bit better. Listening to the press chatter, I can’t see how a special deal on Stilton will add up to a significant extra win for UK farming, no matter how much you enjoy blue cheese. Third – Australia and New Zealand. I’ve been writing about FTA’s


with both these long-standing trading partners for several years, seemingly without anything actually moving forward. As Andersons’ say: “Increased access for beef, lamb, dairy, and horticultural products will be the key asks from Australia and New Zealand.” I can only add that our negotiators need to make sure the final deals encompass genuine ‘give-and-take’ settlements, rather than any ‘open the UK wallet and help yourself’ trading conclusions. Fourth - UK membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive


Agreement Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This is one of the world’s largest free trade areas, accounting for 13% of global GDP in 2018. In addition to the already mentioned Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, the CPTPP is a trading bloc which also includes Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, and Vietnam. Fifth – Continuity Agreements. As part of leaving the EU, the UK is


seeking to replace existing EU-based FTAs with many countries. This is to cover the loss of current FTA links once the UK ceases to be an EU Member State. To date, these so-called continuity agreements have been concluded with approximately 50 countries with a further 16 such deals being ‘in negotiation’. Sixth – EU. All of which bring us back to where we started on Brexit,


namely that EU consumers account for 43% of total UK exports. While all the signs suggest otherwise, we can only hope the UK Government will secure a comprehensive FTA with the EU before the clock strikes midnight on December 31, 2020.


Comment section is sponsored by Compound Feed Engineering Ltd www.cfegroup.com


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