Sahidul Islam Nirab
Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB) Director General also the Ekushey Padak winning journalist & poet Zafar Wazed urged Bangladeshi journalists to write on farmers with disabilities and bring their success stories in front of the people.
He made this call on a television Talk Show titled ‘Contribution of persons with disability to agriculture’ hosted by The Leprosy Mission International-Bangladesh (TLMI-B).
ATN News aired the live program in its ‘News Hour Extra’ program from 9:30pm to 11pm on Thursday (December 3, 2020).
Prof Kamal Uddin, vice-chancellor, Sher-e-Bangla Agriculture University (SAU), Zafar Wazed, director general, Press Institute Bangladesh, Jiptha Boiragee, Programme Support Coordinator (PSC), TLMI-B, Vashkar Bhattacharjee, Program Manager & Head- YPSA ICT & Resource Center on Disabilities also a consultant of A2i attended the program. 
The discussants expressed their opinions on the rights and inclusion of the farmers with disabilities in Bangladesh at the Talk Show which was moderated by senior journalist Munni Saha.
Attending the event, PIB DG Zafar Wazed also the Ekushey Award winning journalist & poet, said “Journalists should write about the farmers with disabilities from the perspective of their social responsibilities.”
He also offered TLMI-B authority to come forward with PIB for conducting research and publishing the findings regarding the farmers with disabilities.
SAU former VC Prof Dr Kamal Uddin Ahmed emphasized adopting a new policy for farmers with disabilities. 
Prof Ahmed also urged the authority concerned to establish a curriculum for persons with disabilities in school, college and university level.
Attending the TV Talk Show Vashkar Bhattacharjee said the persons with disability have crossed the social stigma and have the confidence for various steps taken by the government during the last decade.
Attending the Talk Show from the television centre, TLMI-B PSC Jiptha Boiragee, revealed some success stories of farmers with disability who have formed Self-help Groups (SHG) in Nilphamari and Thakurgaon districts.
Jiptha also informed that farmers with disabilities in those two districts have transformed their lives and achieved tremendous success after they were brought under several programmes of ES-CC project. 
Once socially excluded farmers with disabilities have come up and altogether 736 farmers with disabilities have been registered as farmers by the government, said Jiptha adding that more than 4,000 farmers with disabilities in two districts have received various government services.
They have formed 362 SHGs in the two districts which have helped them in mainstreaming in the society. Altogether 46 farmers with disabilities have been included various CIG committees, Jiptha added.
Notably, about 2,500 farmers with disabilities in Thakurgaon and Nilphamari districts have received agricultural trainings from Livestock Department, Fisheries Department and Department of Agricultural Extension.
Jiptha Boiragee underscored inclusion of farmers with disability in the country’s Agriculture Policy as nothing was said in the last Agriculture Policy that was adopted in 2018.
He also revealed some research findings regarding the role of people with disabilities in agriculture while talking in the Talk Show programme.
