Agrilife24.com: Under the Pathway to Prosperity (P2P) Soybean Programme, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Monday (21 October) in between Solidaridad Network Asia Bangladesh and Fowzia Food at Solidaridad Network Asia Bangladesh Office, Dhanmondi,Dhaka. In this multi-stakeholder market-based approach programme to increase soy productivity in coastal areas, the partnership aims to promote production and consumption of value-added soy products among urban consumers.
Conscious of the nutritional value of soy vegetarian protein foods, Fowzia Food, a women-led food safe food processing enterprise, offers soy products such as tofu, soy kebab, soy milk, soy yogurt, soy curd and soy borhani in leading retail outlets across Bangladesh. The quality of the products is widely popular among different population groups in Bangladesh. They are well-received as safe, nutritious, delicious and healthy.
Through this partnership, Solidaridad will ensure consistent and timely supply of high-quality soybean seeds and grains from their farmers to Fowzia Food at market prices while maintaining quality standards, supporting the production of diversified soybean foods and the development of high-quality soybean food products. In addition, Solidaridad will provide technical support to Fowzia Food in the development of packaging that will include a QR code with traceability information on the market-based approach. The partnership also aims to increase public awareness of the nutritional value of soybean value-added food, conduct market research to promote diversified soybean food, and refine, modify and develop soybean value-added products for export where necessary.
Funded by Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and HSBC Bank, the initiative aims to promote climate-smart soybean cultivation systems in coastal Bangladesh, increase the production of high-yielding soybeans to supply the processing industry and promote sustainable consumption. There has been successful collaboration between Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agriculture University (BSMRAU), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) and Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) to develop salt-tolerant soybean varieties, maintain seed quality and support soybean entrepreneurship.
At the same time, Solidaridad is working with Nourish and the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) to drive market transformation. Through dynamic multi-stakeholder engagement, Solidaridad executes strategic initiatives by engaging both the public and private sectors to ensure sustainable supply chains to increase soybean production, provide advanced GAP training to farmers, highlight the nutritional benefits of soybean, promote women entrepreneurship in developing a high-value market for soybean value added products for the national and export market, and promote innovation and market expansion in the private sector.
