Cairn, MCX, team up to provide farm seeds through post offices

In a latest joint initiative between the department of post, Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) and oil exploration major Cairn India, the Gujarat farmers are provided technical knowledge and quality seeds through the grameen suvidha kendra (GSKs) that are being set up across the state in around six districts.

The attempt is to provide better farming techniques and better seeds to the farmers in state. Other services such as daily update on the mandi prices besides MCX spot and futures prices of various agricultural commodities, weather update, addressing technical queries regarding cultivation and arranging scientific warehousing facilities will be provided through the GSKs.

At present, five GSKs operate in Gujarat taken up at the block level post offices where daily information sheets on prices from nearest mandis, bigger markets and MCX futures market rates of the key agricultural commodities.

The post master of the block post office, then sends the information sheet to each of village post offices same day, which displays the prices on a board. The farmers have to pay Rs 30 per annum at the GSKs. The details like land holdings and cropping pattern will be recorded at these GSKs.

MCX has tied up with various major seed companies such as Syngenta, Mahyco, Pioneer, DSCL and government-owned seed companies for ensuring that not only farmers get quality seeds but also better pricing. Around 30,000 farmers would be covered in six districts of Gujarat.

Cairn India has taken up this initiative to support farmers of 250 villages, located along the route of its pipeline Barmer in Rajasthan to Gujarat.

The oil & gas major is laying the world's longest heated and insulated pipeline to transport crude oil from Barmer to Gujarat.