July 15, 2018
State Govt adopts ways to successfully market farmers’ produce
The State Government has undertaken effective steps to market the crops produced by farmers.
Krishak Bazar is one of the unique projects that the State Agricultural Marketing Department has been implementing. Through these government-owned market complexes, farmers are able to store and sell their produce in an affordable manner.
The West Bengal Agricultural Marketing Department launched a scheme to directly procure vegetables from farmers and sell them to consumers from various marketing centres. This scheme, named ‘Sufal Bangla’, is benefiting consumers and farmers alike.
Krishak Bazaar: Krishal Bazaars provide a wide range of infrastructural facilities for farmers like auction platforms, weighbridges, modern warehouses and shops-cum-warehouses. Each complex also has a farmer’s rest house and an administrative building. The places are also served by very effective sewerage systems. Solar-powered, temperature-controlled godowns are also being constructed.
A quality testing centre has been started at the Krishak Bazaar in Singur, named after Tapasi Malik, the martyr of the Singur Movement.
Sufal Bangla: The West Bengal Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited is overseeing the Sufal Bangla chain of fair-price shops for vegetables, fruits and grocery. On one hand, farmers are getting fair price for the goods produced by them while on the other, the consumers are getting these products at a much lower rate. As of now, 21 such counters operate in and around Kolkata. Forty-six Sufal Bangla mobile vans also sell vegetables at designated places at a fixed time.
Farmer Producer Organisations: Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO) have been formed to promote cultivation and marketing of pulses, oilseeds and vegetables. Fifty FPOs, each comprising of 50,000 farmers have been formed in 11 districts of the state. These FPOs are also being engaged in the management of supply chains for the marketing of agricultural produce through the Sufal Bangla stalls. A few FPOs also manage Sufal Bangla stalls.
Krishak Bazars, Sufal Bangla stalls and Farmer Producer Organisations have successfully helped farmers across the State to effectively market their produce, and thus get proper prices. Also, through Krishak Bazars, vegetables, fruits and grains are now being stored in a proper manner. To help a much larger number of farmers, the State Government has plans to links FPOs it has formed to those formed by NABARD.
