Control rooms set up to assist farmers of Assam in selling produces

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Due to the COVID-19 situation, a large number of farmers are forced to throw their agricultural produces on not being able to sell it in the markets.

To tackle this situation, the Directorate of Horticulture & Food Processing under the Agricultural Department has set up control rooms in all the districts to monitor the availability of crops. The control rooms will be headed by the agricultural officers who along with vendors will help the farmers to sell their produces.

In this regard, while talking to The Sentinel, Director of Horticulture & Food Processing Triranga Bharatya Borah stated, "We have taken immediate steps to set up control rooms in all the districts. The farmers are in distress after failing to sell their produces. Through the control rooms, the farmers will be able to inform the Agricultural Department about the availability of crops. To avoid wastage of produce, the control rooms will notify the registered vendors through WhatsApp groups to procure the produces from the available farmers."

Borah underlined that if a district is facing a shortage of agricultural products then the Agricultural Department will help in facilitating the sharing of production from neighbouring districts.

"Very soon, we will launch an app and a portal to control the situation. The portal will have updates about the availability of products in different districts. It will facilitate the process of buying and selling the produce," said Borah.

The Director of Horticulture & Food Processing stated that the main reason for the situation is that the farmers are not being able to do market research before the production of crops. "Due to lack of market knowledge such situation arises. Through the app and portal, we will give market knowledge to the farmers as to which crops are in demand. Meanwhile, the department will also be in touch with other States who are facing a shortage of produce," said Borah.

He added that more than 500 vendors have been allowed to sell farmers' produce across the State.

"In Guwahati, 21 vendors have been permitted to travel across different districts. Last year, due to the COVID situation, the agricultural sector incurred huge losses. We hope that through these initiatives, the farmers' produce will be saved from being wasted. We are also planning to provide transport subsidy to the registered vendors. The Railways has already given 50 per cent subsidy to the vendors," Borah added.

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