New Agri-Marketing Systems Sought

Inaugurating a regional workshop on the role of wholesale markets in urban food distribution in Asia, he said, With the growth of mega and metro cities, marketing systems of wholesale and retail agri-business will have to be modernised to carry larger loads.

Delegates from 10 countries in Asia and the Pacific region are attending the four-day meet organised by the Association of Food Marketing Agencies in Asia (AFMA) and several Indian marketing organisations, including Food Corporation of India (FCI).

Yadav said nearly 1,60,000 truckloads of foodgrains are transported annually in each of the mega cities like Mumbai, Calcutta and Delhi. This increases the pressure on already congested city roads.

 

Yadav referred to the changes in the structure of food commodities marketing in developed countries in the past few years due to changes in consumer habits, development of product standardisation and greater integration of production within the commercial circuit.

There has also been a steady reduction in the volume of products passing through central wholesale markets in these countries.

This is not, however, the case in developing countries, where wholesale markets continue to play a dominant role in food distribution.

Even in the smaller towns, where wholesale market systems may not be a dominant feature at present, such arrangements will be necessitated by continuous urbanisation and increase in disposable incomes.

Yadav said the Union rural areas & employment ministry had recently set up a national institute of agricultural marketing at Jaipur to provide technical expertise in agricultural marketing.

Agri-workers bill to be moved soon

Our Infrastructure Bureau NEW DELHI

Union labour minister M Arunachalam said the government will move a comprehensive bill on agriculture workers in the next session of Parliament.

Addressing the consultative committee attached to his ministry yesterday, he said the finance ministry has invested Rs 492 crore of provident fund money in various financial institutions.

Out of this, Rs 100 crore has been deposited with Industrial Financial Corporation of India, Rs 211 crore with Industrial Credit & Investment Corporation of India, Rs 31 crore with Industrial Development Bank of India and Rs 150 crore with Shipping Credit & Investment Corporation of India.