BAFLF & NWFA demand basic income guaranty
for agriculture workers and unconditional cash incentive for small scale
farmers affected by COVID-19 outbreak.
Bangladesh Agricultural Farm Labour
Federation General Secretary Abdul Mazid and National Women Farmers and Workers
Association General Secretary Rima Akther in a joint statement, call upon Govt.
to guarantee basic wage incentives payment to agricultural workers including
workers engaged in informal work and special bailout that include unconditional
cash payment and relief for small scale and marginal farmers impacted by COVID-19.
The statement mention the the global
pandemic coronavirus first hit on working people. The impact of this crisis on
the people in agricultural communities is significant. Country-wide lockdowns,
public transportation closure, and emergency movement control measures threaten
the incomes and livelihoods of agriculture workers and farmers including
informal sectors workers, their health and safety and those of their family
members. Workers working on all sizes of farms, plantations and unorganized
sectors are at risk of being deprived of the necessary public health and social
protection. Women workers in particular are at high risk. As many as 20 million
low-income working people’s income source has now completely stopped and they
have become unemployed and their condition has come to a miserable stage due to
the ongoing shutdown as most of them usually live their life by earning on a
daily basis.
Along with the workers, small and
medium farmers are facing huge financial losses after the shutdown had started
on March 2020 with a view of flattering the curve of Coronavirus. Farmers are
unable to reach the market due to collapsed distribution network. They could
not supply perishable produce like vegetables, eggs and milk to market despite
of having demand for such fresh products. So farmers are facing extreme
financial hardships losing their capital. Many farmers will be unable to
produce in the days ahead.
The global food crisis is likely to be
affected by coronavirus. In this case, it is important to continue producing
local food for the sake of country’s food security. Therefore, appropriate
measures should also be taken to encourage and support local food production
without putting the health and safety of agricultural workforce at risk. We
welcome the Prime Minister's announcement of bailout package of providing
capital support to farmers to continue food production. However, considering
the emergency sector, this incentive must be unconditional. It is urgently necessary
and reasonable to provide this incentive without interest for agriculture
sector and to extend its coverage. At the same time, in the fight to contain
the spread of COVID-19 a comprehensive effective initiative must be taken to
ensure country’s food sovereignty and people’s right to food, as well as ensuring food and housing security and avoiding
unnecessary exposure of health and
safety risk of agricultural workers and
people in agriculture communities.
Since agricultural workers are
essential for food security, BAFLF & NWFA call on government to implement
the following measures to protect agricultural workers, farmers and their
families.
1.
Ensure that three-month emergency wage
assistance is provided to all workers including workers engaged in non-formal
farming, financially impacted by COVID-19, for the reason such as lose of work,lose
of market, illness, or unpaid self-isolation.
2.
In recognition of the essential
services that agricultural workers provide, wage for agricultural workers must
immediately be increased along with risk allowance.
3. Employer must provide transportation
to and from the farm and ensure physical distancing to the transport. Vehicles
must be regularly disinfected and adequate safety measures will be provided to
the transport workers.
4. In the upcoming paddy harvesting season,
government must arrange transportation for workers to and from farms and ensure
physical distancing to the govt. provided transport and the vehicles must be
disinfected regularly.
5. Workers working on farms/fields must
always have access to adequate drinking water, sanitation facilities, all
necessary protective clothing and disinfectant.
6. Include agriculture workers in social security and health insurance schemes
like workers in other sectors.
7. The rights of women workers must be
ensured: special attention must be paid to their income and social protection,
maternity protection, postnatal care, appropriate protective equipment and
protection from sexual harassment.
8. Small scale and medium farmers, people
engaged in poultry and dairy farms should be included in the emergency cash
incentive package.
9.
In collaboration with union/farmers’
organization and other local stakeholders prepare a list of sharecroppers,
landless and marginal farmers working informal agriculture affected by COVID-19
outbreak and must take immediate
measures to provide them compensation.
To support local food production they are also included in the cash incentive
package and provide unconditional cash support.
10. With the help of union/farmers’ organization and other local
stakeholders under the supervision of the District Commissioner, a list of the
victims in the rural areas must be prepared and emergency relief should be
provided to the effected people.
11. Since small scale and marginal farmers are unable to sell the produce, they
are facing financial loses and do not
have available cash capital. Appropriate
measures to be taken to give them
immediate cash assistance for harvesting with zero interest.
12. Immediately
implement measure to waive agricultural loan payment to affected farmers.
