Farmers' representatives from south Asian countries at the inaugural session of a four-day meeting yesterday demanded duty and quota free access of their agricultural products to developed nations to ensure food security in the region. Farmers who work for security of food and other agricultural produces are themselves in insecure position as fair prices cannot be ensured, said the farmers while sharing views at the meeting on 'Food Security and Food Scarcity in Asia', held at the auditorium of CARITAS Regional office. The farmers of South Asian countries need sustainable agriculture with modern technology to maintain their existence, which is needed for reasonable production and ensuring food security, a crying need for the present world, they said. 'Fair Trade Agreement at International level' is needed so that the farmers can get fair price for their produces, speakers said at the programme. They urged 'technology learning' from each other to boost agricultural production. Like those in Bangladesh, the farmers of other South Asian countries do not get fair prices of their produce while the middlemen eat up the lion's share of their profit, Elezar V Gomez from Philippines told this correspondent. The farmers, the main force of agriculture, should get better profit for their survival as well as for better food production and food security, he said. Gabirel Baroi from Thailand said if the farmers get sustainable agriculture with bio-fertilizer, the use of chemical fertilizers and insecticides will be reduced reasonably and ultimately it will result in reduction of production cost and better ecological balance. Urging promotion of organic farming to reduce production cost, speakers said promotion and use indigenous seeds instead of genetically modified and hybrid seeds is needed for overall safety of environment. Some 25 farmers from Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Philippines and Bangladesh are taking part in the four-day programme organised by CARITAS Bangladesh. Bishop of Mymensingh Catholic Diocese Ponen Paul Kubi spoke the opening ceremony as chief guest while Francis Atul Sarker, Development Director of CARITAS Bangladesh, was the special guest. Display of seeds of local varieties of paddy, fruits and vegetables of the participating countries was a salient feature of the programme.