Khammam: Officials told to make arrangements for selling chilli through electronic National Agriculture Market

Khammam: District Collector RV Karnan has directed the officials of Agriculture Markets to make all necessary arrangements for introducing eNAM in chilli yard. Chilli would be purchased through electronic National Agriculture Market (eNAM) trading portal at Khammam Agriculture Market from May, he informed.

He asked the traders and commission agents at the market to extend their cooperation in that regard. The Collector held a meeting with Khammam Agriculture Market Committee office bearers, traders and commission agents here on Friday in the wake of protests by farmers on Thursday over fall in price offered to chilli at Khammam market.

Karnan also asked the Market Committee office bearers, traders and commission agents to ensure that the farmers are offered profitable price. Purchase of chilli has to be done not affecting the farmers even though the chilli prices fall in international market, he suggested. Commission agents have to convince and educate the farmers about eNAM. Similarly, the farmers have to be informed that the price offered to farmers in Khammam was higher than of the price given to farmers in Guntur and Warangal markets.

Likewise, commission agents have to support the chili farmers to store their produce in cold storages and sell it when the prices were profitable, Karnan said, adding that eNAM would help the farmers to get good price to quality produce and trading would be done transparently.

The Collector asked Khammam Agriculture Market Committee Chairman M Venkata Ramana, who attended the meeting, to extend support to the farmers to store their produce in cold storages. Joint Collector Hanmanthu K, Trainee Collector Adarsh Surabhi, District Marketing Officer R Santhosh Kumar, District Farmers Coordination Committee Chairman N Venkateswar Rao, Chamber of Commerce and Trade president C Krishna Rao and others were present.