With reference to "Farm marketing" (July 25), by incorporating innovative methods and technologies into the farm sector, the government can help improve crop yield in a safe and sustainable manner. Increased allocations under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, proposal for 100 per cent rural electrification and enhanced agricultural credit target were some welcome measures the government proposed in the Union Budget to raise productivity of the primary sector and mitigate rural distress. The exemption of perishable farm output from the ambit of agricultural produce marketing committee (APMC) laws is a low-hanging fruit in agri-marketing reforms that the government must pluck at the earliest. It will not only reduce marketing overheads but also help in eliminating middlemen.
Further, the creation of an online National Agriculture Market platform is a great leap forward in ending the monopoly of APMCs and connecting farm gates to retail stores. The electronic trading portal will introduce transparency and enhance competition, thus necessitating the introduction of modern inventory management practices, supply chain management and new storage/vending technologies. Investments by state governments in backend infrastructure will further reduce the layers of intermediaries. However, collection of fees on online transactions should not become a means to exercise political control over agricultural trade.
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Further, the creation of an online National Agriculture Market platform is a great leap forward in ending the monopoly of APMCs and connecting farm gates to retail stores. The electronic trading portal will introduce transparency and enhance competition, thus necessitating the introduction of modern inventory management practices, supply chain management and new storage/vending technologies. Investments by state governments in backend infrastructure will further reduce the layers of intermediaries. However, collection of fees on online transactions should not become a means to exercise political control over agricultural trade.
Shreyans Jain, New Delhi
Letters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:
The Editor, Business Standard
Nehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
New Delhi 110 002
Fax: (011) 23720201 · E-mail: letters@bsmail.in
All letters must have a postal address and telephone number