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Greater Noida, 28 September. Now, along with farming, emphasis is also being laid on branding, packaging and digital sales so that the farmer gets the right price in the market after preparing the crop. A picture of this changing market was shown to the farmers of Western Uttar Pradesh at the Uttar Pradesh International Trade Show on Monday. Progressive farmers from seven districts of Western UP including Meerut division participated in the Farmers Fair of Western Plains Agro-climatic Region organized at Expo Mart. Experts suggested ways to reduce production costs, get better prices for produce and get direct access to the big market by developing FPOs as a collective power of farmers.
If you buy together the cost will reduce, if you sell together the power will increase.
The Kisan Fair, organized under the strengthening of agricultural information system and farmer awareness program, was inaugurated by Joint Agriculture Director (Quality Control) and Nodal Officer of FPO Santosh Rai and Joint Agriculture Director, Meerut Division Smita Verma. Both the officers visited the various stalls set up in the fair along with the agricultural seminar. Progressive and achieving farmers from Meerut, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Baghpat, Shamli and Muzaffarnagar participated in the program.
Project Director (Technical) Neeraj Suvrat gave information on the possibilities of connecting farmers to the market through FPO. He told that farmers can form groups and collect their produce along with packaging and branding it. This can make the way for the product to reach bigger buyers and the market easier.
Farmers were also told the benefits of collective purchase of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and agricultural equipment through FPOs. Emphasis was laid on reducing costs through bulk purchasing and increasing bargaining power in the market through collective selling. Information about the arrangement for sharing the profits from FPO business for the development of the organization and giving dividends to the members was also given.
Farmer’s produce will reach the online market ahead of the shop*
Farmers were also given information about digital business in the Kisan Fair. ONDC Vice President Praveen Chaudhary said that FPOs can deliver their products directly to customers on online storefronts through e-commerce. Farmer groups can increase the market reach of their products by using facilities like digital payments, promotion and supply arrangements. Siddharth Gautam told farmers ways to get better prices for their produce and reduce production costs. He said that collective purchase of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and agricultural equipment and collective sale of produce can strengthen the market capacity of farmers.
Deputy Agriculture Director Gautam Budh Nagar Vivek Dubey presented the progress of various schemes of the Agriculture Department in the district and the works done in the interest of farmers. Expressing gratitude to the progressive farmers coming from different districts, he stressed on understanding and adopting new market systems along with technical knowledge of agriculture.
For the farmers of Western UP, this platform of trade show became an opportunity to understand the entire range of produce business beyond farming. In the agricultural policy of the state government, emphasis is being laid on connecting farmers with production, market, processing and value addition. In the Kisan Mela, FPO was put forward as an important link of this change.
