Nagpur orange growers to sell produce directly to IT firms

Abhijeet Falke, a member of the group, said the program is run by Apulkee and Convergence of Agricultural Interventions in Maharashtra (CAIM)—a government initiative for distressed farmers.

For the second year in a row, Apulkee, a voluntary organisation working for the betterment of farmers, would organise direct marketing of Nagpur oranges at various IT companies in Pune. The initiative would see orange growers from Nagpur setting up stalls and selling their produce directing without having to go through middlemen.

Abhijeet Falke, a member of the group, said the program is run by Apulkee and Convergence of Agricultural Interventions in Maharashtra (CAIM)—a government initiative for distressed farmers. “One of the major issues facing farmers is their failure to realise proper prices for their produce. Involvement of multiple middlemen results in farmers being deprived of the right price while the end consumer has to pay a much higher price,” he said.

This year, orange growers are in distress due to a sudden drop in prices. Traders say simultaneous arrival of oranges from Ahmednagar and Nagpur is the reason for the same. Prices of oranges have reduced by almost 20 per cent compared to last year.

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Falke said most Apulkee members have their roots in Vidharbha and hail from farming families. He said last year, 328 farmers had taken part in the scheme and 119 tonnes of oranges were sold in around 10 software companies in the city. “As most Apulkee members are working with IT companies, we try to coordinate with the companies to allow farmers to set up stalls within the premises. The farmers, along with some volunteers, man the stalls,” he said.

Last year, the total turnover of the initiative was Rs 44 lakh, and Falke hopes to double the number of companies as well as the amount of oranges sold this year. He said talks are on with companies and the group hopes to start the first such stall early next week. Companies who wish to participate in the initiative could contact http://www.Apulkee.org.

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