Members of the Farmers Interest Group of M. Kalathur have set a trend in marketing maize. All 20 members of the group, who harvested the produce recently, marketed it immediately at their door-steps thanks to direct purchase by traders. This is the first time that the maize is being marketed directly without the intervention of middlemen.
It avoids the expenditure of transit of the produce, says R. Chandrasekaran, Deputy Director of Agriculture Marketing and Agri Business. He said a total of 7,100 kg of the produce was sold for Rs.85,200 at the rate of Rs.12 a kg.
“The price was at least Rs.1.50 over and above (per kg) the wholesale market price,” said Saravanakumar and Pushpa Sivakumar, both Assistant Directors of Agri Business.
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They said the sale would motivate the other 20 groups in Thottiyam, Mannachanallur and Pullampadi blocks.