Rs 703-cr project to bring markets

The programme aims to reform the agriculture technology extension system,improve the competitiveness of the farmers,enhance their income-generating potential by increasing demand for high-value and high-quality agricultural produce by urban consumers and,most importantly,help establish better market accessibility for farmers.

To execute the programme,MACP aims to hold over 6,600 training programmes for farmers,farmers groups and extension personnel for capacity-building and empowerment. The courses will be organised in phases and will include training on markets,access to finance and post-harvest issues in the first phase,FCSC operation and livestock markets in next phase and business management and specialised technical training in subsequent phases.

For ensuring effective management,a five-tier set-up has been created. At the top will be a high-powered committee consisting of ministers of all departments concerned and headed by the Chief Minister.

A steering committee headed by the Chief Secretary will co-ordinate implementation. Principal Secretary Co-op amp; Marketing will be the Nodal Officer and for day-to-day management the PCU has been set up at Pune,which is functioning under the control of the Principal Secretary Co-operation amp; Marketing. And last,Project Implementation Units PIUs have been set up for each of the line department to monitor and supervise the implementation of the activities pertaining to the departments concerned.

The state government has appointed an IAS officer,Vasant Vaidya,at the Project Co-ordinating Unit PCU at Pune as the scheme director.

How the scheme will work

According to Principal Secretary,Co-operatives and Marketing,Maharashtra,S K Goel,who is the nodal office for the scheme,the underlying philosophy of the project is: take the market to farmers who currently have to reach out to markets themselves. We will give them multiple choices for marketing their produce. Currently,they only have the Agriculture Produce Market Committees APMCs. He lists the following points as schemes salient features:

Ten per cent of the farm markets,like APMCs and village haats,in the state will be developed on the lines of the Amul model of milk collection. Rs 300 crore will be spent on reforming them. There will also be 400 Farmers Common Service Centres FCSCs,200 each for cereals and pulses and fruits and vegetables. These will have facilities of grading,cleaning and trading and could be run by agriculture graduates,local bodies and farmers groups.

Electronic system will be introduced in the APMCs for virtual trade where farmer wont have to physically bring the goods. It will be done through bidding,auctioneering. Stress will be on compurterising the system.

Currently,there is no infrastructure at village haats,so it serves only as village consumer market and traders dont come there. Infrastructure like grading,cleaning facilities will be created there so the traders could come.

The idea is to encourage farmers to create marketable surplus and high-value crops.

The scheme will also cover cattle markets to factor in animal husbandry sector too.