The government of Japan is providing $5 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) for the ‘Farmers’ Market’ operation in Cox’s Bazar.
This market supports 2,400 Bangladeshi local farmers in Cox’s Bazar districts who will provide fresh, locally sourced vegetables at the market servicing 20,000 refugees who were displaced from Myanmar. The WFP farmers’ market model ensures the engagement of local farmers and traders to sell their produce at a fair price, encouraging localization of the food supply chain and injecting money into the local economy.
To provide support, Ambassador of Japan in Dhaka Naoki Ito signed an agreement with WFP Bangladesh Deputy Country Director Alpha Bah on Wednesday, the embassy said.
WFP is awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize 2020.
“The farmers’ market model demonstrates the enormous economic opportunities the refugee response can provide to local populations,” said Alpha Bah.
“The market is mutually beneficial too, providing income to local food producers and increasing dietary diversity among the refugee population.”
The Japanese ambassador said from this project, “both farmers of host communities and displaced people will benefit. I sincerely hope that this project will be able to support the “Rohingya” refugee and host community in Cox’s Bazar, and to contribute to the stable development of Bangladesh”.
Through WFP’s farmers’ market, refugees have access to fresh foods regularly, directly from the local producers which they purchase using a WFP Assistance Card.
By building a symbiotic economic relationship, it also contributes to a peaceful co-existence and social cohesion between those two groups.
This represents a continuation of Japan’s strong support to WFP’s response in Bangladesh.
Japan contributed $15 million to WFP Bangladesh in the beginning of the response in 2017, which provided timely funding in a time of great need.
In 2019, Japan contributed further $5 million to support Bangladeshi smallholder farmers in Patuakhali and Cox’s Bazar Districts to support their livelihoods and helped expand WFP’s e-voucher programme to the refugee population.
Since the massive influx of refugees into Bangladesh in August 2017, the government of Japan has granted approximately $126 million to international organisations and NGOs, and has also contributed approximately $42 million to JRP2020, including this support to WFP.
In Cox’s Bazar, WFP provides food assistance to 860,000 Rohingya per month and more than 500,000 vulnerable people in the host community.
