DHAKA, July 15, 2022 (BSS) - State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed

Palak today visited a digital village in Cox's Bazar to oversee its
activities.

To break the digital divide in rural areas and support the smallholder
farmers in Tulatoli village located at Ukhiya, the special visit by Zunaid
Ahmed Palak was organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO).

The FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific developed the digital
village initiative to support existing and potential digital villages,
increase farm productivity and profitability, and combat hunger, poverty, and
inequality in rural farming communities, a FAO press release said here.

Smallholder farmers connected with FAO's digital village initiative can
receive various e-services from government and private actors. Apart from
that, the digital village initiative can serve as an information exchange and
knowledge-sharing platform among farmers, groups and communities.

With further transformation, it can be an entry point for digitalisation,
employment generation for youth male and female, modernisation of agriculture
and income generation.

There are 60 digital villages across Barishal, Rangpur and Cox's Bazar. These
digital villages are being operated by producer organisations which are
currently maintaining 57 virtual call centres to aggregate produce for
collective marketing and facilitate bulk procurement of agricultural inputs.

These digital villages promote 23 digital agriculture applications developed
or supported by the government, they also provide rural farmers with digital
literacy training so that they can take advantage of new opportunities.

Policy Advisor of a2i, ICT Division Anir Chowdhury, Deputy Director (In-
Charge) of Department of Agricultural Extension, Cox's Bazar Ashish Ranjan
Nath and Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Ukhiya in Cox's Bazar Imran Hossain
Shajib accompanied the state minister during his visit.

Nearly 50 farmers, community members and officers from the FAO were also
present, among others.