K.T. Gangadhar, working president of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, has called upon the farmers to develop skills to market their produce.
Ravi, a small farmer from Giriyapur village in Chikkamagaluru district, has established an outlet in the city to sell pomegranate cultivated by him. Speaking after inaugurating the outlet on Friday, Mr. Gangadhar said that farmers should manage the supply-chain of their produce on their own by eliminating the role of middlemen in it.
Deprived
At present, the market of agricultural produce was in the clutches of middlemen, which had deprived farmers of an opportunity to get a fair price for their produce.
Even the consumers were exploited by the middlemen. It was essential to eliminate the role of middlemen by providing suitable training to farmers in marketing their produce independently, he said.
The small and marginal farmers could form a group on the cooperative model and market their produce, independently, so that the role or need for middlemen could be completely eliminated. This would not only ensure higher income for farmers, but also a reasonable price for consumers, Mr. Gangadhar said.
There had been a rapid extension in the area of cultivation of pomegranate in Karnataka in recent times. Farmers should take up value-addition for pomegranate and thereby enhance their income, he said. Functionary of Bharatiya Janata Party S.S. Jyotiprakash and Satishkumar Shetty of Shivamogga Nagarika Hitarakshana Vedikegala Okkoota were present.
- ‘Farmers should manage the supply-chain of their produce independently’
‘Small and marginal farmers should form groups on cooperative model to sell their produce’
