Hyderabad: Freedom for farmers to sell their produce anywhere

Hyderabad: Will farmers in Telangana have the last laugh with the passage of the farm reform Bills and the proposed setting up of 1,000 new agriculture markets? Contrary to fears being expressed by some, the existing Agriculture Market Committees would continue. In addition, over 1,000 new agriculture markets are going to come up in Telangana. The new markets will be fully eNAM ready. Entirely funded by the Centre, the National Agriculture Market or eNAM is an online trading platform for agricultural commodities.

But, how the farmers, most of them being illiterates, or novice to the nuances of marketing can sell their agriculture produce anywhere in the country? For this, sources in the ruling party at the Centre said, that farmers have the freedom to sell their agriculture produce through the existing AMC, as they will continue to exist. Besides, they have the freedom to sell to anyone from anywhere in the country.

This is, where the eNAM ready new agriculture markets will play a key role. "All that a farmer has to do is, agree to a sale price offered by the bidders through the eNAM platform." Once the farmer accepts the bid price, then, the agriculture produce has to be transported. For this, the Centre is stepping up to link every new agriculture market to its newly launched agriculture transport logistics initiative - Kisan Rails. For, transportation of the perishable goods like vegetables, fruits, meat to the long distances, from where the traders want to source agricultural products directly from the farmers.

However, a clarification has to emerge as to who will bear the transporting charges.

The Central Railside Warehousing Corporation (CRWC) is stepping up the temperature-controlled storage facilities, including the parcel vans to meet the demand. The farmers also have the option to sell their products to the individual traders, in nearby markets and localities like towns and cities.

Analysts say that the days of farmers pleading before the commission agents or bosses of the agriculture market committee for a better price will be a thing of the past. Besides, the agriculture products supported by the minimum support price (MSP) will continue, he added. This state BJP president Bandi Sanjay and Soyam Bapu Rao also reiterated.

Currently, Telangana has about 187 Agriculture Market Committees with an additional 87 sub-markets. However, commodities wise, there are about 1,473 places in Telangana where 122 agriculture and allied products are traded in the State.

The traded commodities include - ajwain, amchur, apple, Arati- green plantain, banana, bajra, beetroot, Bengalgram, bittergourd, blackgram, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, dry chill, cluster beans, cotton, culinary banana, drumsticks, paddy, maize and a host of other products.

About 122 agriculture products traded in the State are high in demand across the cities and towns of the state and also, in neighbouring state capitals. The new acts will give farmers of Telangana freedom to sell their products without paying any tax, and to a price, agreeable to them.