Role of “Uzhavar Sandhai” (Farmers Market) in
Agricultural Marketing – A study S.Krishnan –Research scholar Dept of Applied Research, GRI. maduraisuki@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Direct marketing is a long felt need of the farmers and consumers of the country as it goes a long way in ensuring higher remuneration to the farmers and meeting the satisfaction level of the consumers through direct sales of the agricultural commodity by the farmers to the consumer at affordable price. Direct marketing of agricultural produce helps in complete elimination of middle men and commission agents who charge high level of commission fee from the farmers, coming to the market yards for selling their produce and than artificially inflate the retail price. This paper examines the functions of the farmers market, the impact of farmers market, in the farmers Economic conditions and an attempt is made to study the quantum of vegetables and fruits sold in the market and other amenities available in the market.
Key words : Uzhavar Sandhai, Farmers market, Basic amenities, Agricultural marketing, Assistant Agricultural officers.
Introduction :
The issue concerning small agricultural producers figures prominently in the global discussions about poverty reduction as the majority of the world’s poor belongs to such households. The opportunity for farmers particularly small and marginal farmers to raise their incomes from agricultural production, natural resource management, and related rural enterprises increasingly depends on their ability to successfully participate in the market place exchanges. Lack of information on prices and technologies high transaction costs, and credit constraints make it difficult for farmers to take advantage of the market. The farmers welfare directly depends up on the income generated from agricultural produce. This income would be high or low depend upon the nature of the price discovered in the market for the produce. The farmers often not participate in determining the price and instead the middlemen and agents do it. This threatens the daily livelihoods of the farmers, they search for better sources of income outside agriculture. This leads to sale of land, which ultimately drives the agricultural labour force out of employment. The other side of the story is that due to the low prices received for their produce, farmers are sometimes compelled to give very low wages to the labourers. So the problems of fair price, better market place, better quality, correct weighment of goods and facility to store and transport goods etc., have to be addressed.
If these problems are solved, then one can be assured that major hurdles in the way of better fortune for the farmers will be removed. To address the above problems, the farmers market (Uzhavar Sandhai) concept is evolved and implemented in Tamilnadu in 1999 at Madurai. This paper attempts to focus on the daily dynamics of first opened” Uzhavar Sandhai” at Madurai to understand how it makes significant changes in farmer’s standard of living.
Origin of the concept of farmers Market (Uzhavar Sandhai) :
Realizing the gravity of the problems in marketing agricultural produce, in 1928 the Royal Commission on Agriculture, emphasized the need for strengthening the agricultural marketing system to safeguard the interest of Indian farmers. The report on National Commission an Agriculture 1976, stated that during the Sale of agricultural produce as much as 50 percent of the consumers share goes to the middle men and less than 70 percent reaches the farmer. Many research studies have also confirmed this and concluded that the “Price spread” is very large, particularly for horticultural crops including vegetables. Many policy decisions such as issue price and minimum support price announced periodically to protect food grain growers. Unfortunately vegetable growers have been left to the wobble of fate and the Uzhavar Sandai’s have been expected to provide relief to the vegetable growers.
Direct marketing is a long felt need of the farmers and consumers of the country as it goes a long way in ensuring higher remuneration to the farmers and meeting the satisfaction level of the consumers through direct sale of the agricultural commodity by the farmers to the consumer at affordable prices. Direct marketing of agricultural produce helps in complete elimination of middlemen and commission agents who charge high level of commission fee from the farmers, coming to the market yards for selling their produce and then artificially inflate the retail prices. Marketing of fruits and vegetables is more complex in nature in comparison with the other crops because of special traits like highly perishable nature, seasonality and bulkiness, which needs special care and immediate disposal. The marketing system for fruits and vegetables is now in the hands of middle men. Middlemen exist at various levels between the farmers and the consumers and exploit through malpractice in weighing, handling and payments. Large number of small farmers are unable to effectively bargain for better prices in the wholesale market. Large number of farmen each handling small quantities, creates high overheads leading to high margin on produce. It is therefore, felt necessary to evolve an alternative marketing strategy where both growers and consumers are benefited through farmers market.
The idea of setting up a farmers market exclusively for selling vegetables grown by the local growers was conceived in the early 1990’s by former Union agricultural Secretary, M.S., Gill. It is reported that Kal ghoj;’ a farmers market, was started way back in 1975 exclusively to sell vegetables and spinach in the former Soviet Union. During the visit to UK, Gill found that farmers were selling fresh and green vegetables on the roadside on a collective basis at a high premium and the market was quiet busy. After a detailed investigation, he found that the farmers directly sold their produce to the consumers without middlemen or commission agents. Immediately on his return to India, he successfully set up “Apna Mandies’ in Punjab and Haryana where the farmers were allowed to sell their produce. Noticing their success the union ministry of agriculture suggested to other states to follow suit. Only Andhra Pradesh took heed and started the “ryothu bazaar. In Tamil Nadu, too the concept of starting farmers market “UZHAVAR SANDAI” was prepared by the agricultural marketing secretary of the state and started at Mdurai in 1999. Now there are 141 Uzhavar Sandaies are functioning in Tamilnadu and everyday an average of the 1010 MT of vegetable and fruits worth Rs.1 crore is being brought and sold by 75,000 farmers, an average benefiting 1,90,000 consumers.
Definition of Farmers Market :
There are many definitions of what constitutes a ‘farmer’ market” However, common characteristics that are generally understood by those developing and promoting these kind of marketing outlets are contained in the following definition, farmers selling agricultural products they raise or create to individual customers at a temporary location on a periodical and / or recurrent basis during the local growing season (Brown, 2001) Farmers markets can range from small markets held once a week with a few vendors to large weekend events with hundreds of vendors and crowds in the thousands” (Hamilton, 2002)
Aim of Uzhavar Sandhai :
· To facilitate direct contact between farmers and public.
· To provide fresh vegetables and fruits at reasonable price daily without any interference of middlemen
· To provide correct measurement to the consumers
· To give full satisfaction to the farmers and public
· To aim for providing higher price than that of wholesale price to the farmers for their vegetable and fruits.
· To provide the fresh fruits and vegetables at the lesser price than that of retail price to consumers.
· The Uzhavar Sandhai also functions as a Technical information centre to the farmers.
· It also acts as a Technical Training Centre to the farmers
· Seeds and other inputs are also provided in some Uzhavar Santhai’s
Administration of farmers market :
The markets are under the administration of the local Agricultural Marketing Committee, and eligible farmers are selected by officials from the departments of agriculture and horticulture in feeder villages located within a 40 – kilometer radius from each market. Officials seconded to the markets are responsible for ensuring that only genuine farmers attended to do so, they issue them with photo- identity cards and cards specifying the produce they are allowed to sell in the market. Both cards are checked daily when farmers arrive at the market. A Committee, which includes officials and farmers representatives, is charged with fixing the maximum prices allowed in the market. These are based on the conventional market system and are 15 to 20 percent above central market prices, which corresponds to about 20 percent less than retail prices. The markets are constantly supervised to ensure that price ceilings are respected, business hours are usually between 6.30 am to 2 pm.
Construction costs for the markets are covered by the local Agricultural Marketing Committee and the District Rural Development agency. Land is provided by local government. Waste Management is provided by voluntary organizations which recover their costs through parking fees, the market’s canteen profits and the recycling of green waste. In addition, transport corporation buses, which were re-routed to provide early morning direct connections between feeder villages and their designated market.
Review of related literature:
Various studies have been made to analyse the functions and impacts of farmers market. Bhale Rao. et. al (1981) reports that paying rent and establishing a shop is generally out of reach of the small farmers, getting place with basic amenities to sell their products without rent is a boon for them, provision of weighing scales by the marketing committee also relieve them from the botheration of bringing their own scales. Salim et. al (2008) revealed that most of the farmer sellers are taking decision regarding marketing their produce after having consultation with their family members accompany and assist the farmer sellers in marketing their products in farmers market and thus marketing the agricultural produce becomes a family venture. It also reports that fruit sellers earn more than vegetable seller in U.S. the vegetable sellers earn Rs.100 per day where as the fruits sellers earn Rs.200 per day as profit.
Rengasay et. al (2003) reports that farmers market provide the opportunity to sell vegetables previously not marketed either because they were considered as “weeds” in the villages, as in the case of greens, or because the production volume was so small that they were used only for household consumption. Hence, even the farmers with little access to resources have been able to increase their incomes.
Rudra Saibaba and Suresh vadde (2009) says that the quality of vegetables as good this is the major influencing factor for purchase at farmers market and also reports that the price vegetables at farmers market are generally cheap. Murali Kallummal and Sakthi Srinivasan.K (2007) observed that the majority of women used to bring in less than 50 kgs daily to the sandhai, when the relationship test is examined it is found that the land size and quantity brought in are significantly related. Lydia oberholizer and shelly grow (2003) reports that Farmers Markets are also a good way for farmers to develop entrepreneurial and business skills, expand their business, and build a customer base.
Area of the Study :
The first Uzhavar Sandhai (U.S) of the State was inaugurated by the former Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, at Madurai as “ANNA NAGAR UZHAVAR SANDHAI” on 14.11.1999. This first started US is taken for the purpose of the study. This U.S. is administrated by an Agricultural Officer with 3 Assistant Agricultural Officers and with 3 securities. It has 478 registered farmers and 130 shopes, 80 Electronic Balance and 14 ordinary weighing stones for farmers usage. It also have two women self help group shops and one aavin stall and one Tantee shop to serve the early morning essential items to the consumers.
Objective of the Study :
1) To study the Socio-Economic conditions, and the land holding size of the farmers who come to U.S.
2) To Analysis the type and quantity of the commodities with distance covered to reach the U.S.
3) To study the amenities provided in the US by Government and the problems encountered by farmers in the U.S.
Methodology :
Data Collection :
This study is based on survey method. Data has been collected from both primary and secondary sources. For collecting primary data, a sample of 62 farmers who participated in the Market activities were selected through convenience sampling method. The primary data was collected from 50 percent of the farmers attended on the Survey data. On the day of survey (6.11.2011) 124 farmers were turned to the market out of which 62 farmers were interviewed. A structured questionnaire was prepared and administered among the farmers to collect the primary data. The data has been collected by interviewing the selected farmers with the help of questionnaires at Madurai Anna Nagar Uzhavar Sandhai. Secondary data is collected from news papers, journals, and magazines and through internal discussion with officials of Agricultural Marketing department of Tamilnadu.
Limitation of the study :
Thus study is restricted to only 62 farmers turned to the market on the date of survey, the sample size is small, the results of the study may not represents those of whole universe. The result of the study is restricted to Anna Nagar Ulavar Sandhai, Madurai.
Amenities available in the Markets :
The market has 130 shops which can be occupied by 360 farmers at a time, each shop will provided one Electronic balance, apart from that, a canteen and one public latrine and enough space to park vehicles are available in the market, one District Central Co-operative Bank is also functioning in the complex for the convenient of the farmers. Seven corporation buses were also covers the feeder the villages by 4.30 am and reaches market by 5.30 am this buses will not charge cost for lagguages of the farmers. Apart from that a voluntary organization named NACKS is taking care of cleaning and maintaining the market, canteen vehicle parking and the public latrine.
The shop will be allotted every day by using lottory method, a box containing the number of the shop will be put in the public place, the farmers can select the shop from the box after the completion of their identity card verification. The Agricultural Marketing officials will visit wholesale Market in the early morning 4.30 am and fix the price every day in consultation with the committee members. The price of the commodity will be displayed in every shop. The Agricultural Marketing officials are responsible for fixing price, allotting shops and displaying the prices and supervising the market.
Analysis of Data and Results :
Table No.1 Arrivals of vegetables, Farmers, consumers from 1999-2011.
S.No | Year | Vegetables and fruits sold (quintal) | Value Rs. In lakh | Average rate per kg column 4/3 | Farmers | Consumers |
(1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | (6) | |
1) | 1999 (Nov,Dec) | 9805.32 | 63.13 | 6.43 | 7142 | 248172 |
2) | 2000 | 81477.01 | 530.17 | 6.51 | 61182 | 1989631 |
3) | 2001 | 10304.30 | 605.27 | 5.87 | 59133 | 1846631 |
4) | 2002 | 60950.27 | 570.40 | 9.36 | 56916 | 1547072 |
5) | 2003 | 60020.29 | 623.99 | 9.35 | 57024 | 589348 |
6) | 2004 | 86012.39 | 996.31 | 11.58 | 57247 | 2089803 |
7) | 2005 | 99985.55 | 1179.51 | 11.80 | 53660 | 2442633 |
8) | 2006 | 85571.37 | 938.64 | 10.97 | 51802 | 1699233 |
9) | 2007 | 103205.90 | 1123.79 | 10.89 | 55070 | 1721049 |
10) | 2008 | 143124.25 | 1107.30 | 7.74 | 52404 | 2174357 |
11) | 2009 | 147415.06 | 2598.21 | 17.39 | 53354 | 2513617 |
12) | 2010 | 120238.85 | 3088.30 | 26.68 | 4970 | 2302236 |
13) | 2011 (upto Sep) | 100042.05 | 2048.78 | 20.47 | 34346 | 1670453 |
14) | Total | 1110152.61 | 15473.80 | 13.94 | 648980 | 22834235 |
Source : Uzhavar Sandhai – Anna Nagar records.
The table, shows the detail information about the farmers, consumers visited the US and the quantum of vegetables sold in the market and its value. The market has sold around, 11,10,153 quaintals of vegetables to the value of 15,474 lakhs rupes. It has helped to 6,48,980 farmers to market their commodities and served to 2,28,34,235 consumers from its inception. It also shows that the farmers, customers, arrivals were steadily increased from 1999 to 2009, there is a fall in arrivals, farmers and consumers due to the opening of a wholesale and retail market within the radius of 2 km (Mattuthavani) but at the same time the value has not decreased due to price raise in the year 2009.
The prices of all commodities including vegetables were increased two to three times during the year 2009 and 2010 when compare to the previous years. This is due to raise in the prices of all inputs including labour.
Table 2 Agewise and sexwise distribution of farmers
Sl.No | Sex | 0-30 | 31-40 | 41-50 | 51-60 | 61 and above | Total | Percentage |
1 | Male | 2 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 27 | 44 |
2 | Female | 2 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 35 | 56 |
3 | Total | 4(6) | 19(31) | 16(26) | 12(19) | 8(13) | 62 | 100 |
Source : Primary data.
The table 2 shows the age wise and sexwise distribution, 56 percent of the respondents were female and the remaining are male, 57 percent of the respondents are in the age group of 31 – 50 which is the main working force of the village. It is interesting to note that 13 percent of the respondents in the age group of 61 and above are still doing the manual work due to their poor economic conditions, and that 8 percent of the interviewed respondents are women in the age group of 61 and above.
Table 3 Distance trvelled by the farmers to reach the Market (in Km)
Type | 0-10 km | 11-20 km | 21-30 km | 31-40 km | 41 and arms | Total |
Respondents | 9 | 11 | 33 | 1 | 8 | 62 |
Percentage | 15 | 18 | 53 | 1 | 13 | 100 |
Source : Primary Data
The Table 3 analyse the distance traveled by the respondents to reach the market, 53 percents of the respondents travel 21 – 30 km daily to reach the market. 13 percent of the respondents travel morethan 41 km to reach the market, in this group 50 percent are from Kodaikkanal of Dindigul district and sells English vegetables.
Table 4 Family size of the Respondents
Type | 0-2 | 3-5 | 6-10 | 10+ | Total |
Respondents | 4 | 45 | 12 | 1 | 62 |
Percentage | 6 | 73 | 19 | 2 | 100 |
Source : Primary Data
The table 3 shows the family size of the Respondents. Majority of the respondents belongs to the family size of 3 – 5 members which represents the national average family size of 4.5.
Table 5 Land Holdings of the farmers and ownership
Type ownership | Lessthan one acre | 1-2 acre | 9-5 acres | 5 and above | Total | Percentage |
Owned | 4 | 9 | 25 | 12 | 50 | 81 |
Leased | 1 | - | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
Owned + leased | - | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 |
Others | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | 2 |
Total | 5(8) | 11(18) | 29(47) | 17(27) | 62 | 100 |
Source : Primary Data
The Table 5 shows that 81 percent of the respondents are land owners, only 6 percent are leased, 11 percent are both owned and leased. Majority of the respondents are (holding less than 5 acres) small farmers, 26 percent are marginal farmers, and 17 percent are holding more than 5 acres.
Table No. 6 Availability of Electricity in the respondents village
Type | Lessthan 6 hours | 6-10 | 11-15 | 15 and above | No idea | Total |
Respondents | 5 | 24 | 20 | 11 | 2 | 62 |
Percentage | 8 | 39 | 32 | 18 | 3 | 100 |
Source : Primary Data
Table No.6 reveals the power supply available in the village. Majority of the respondents reports that the power supply is up to 10 hours per day. 32 percent reports it is upto 15 hours only, 18 percent reports that sufficient power supply is available in the village for their cultivation purpose. 3 percent has no idea because they are not using Electricity for their cultivation.
Table No.7 Vegetables sold by the farmers in the market :
Type | Single | Two | Four | Six | Total |
Respondents | 11 | 12 | 29 | 10 | 62 |
Percentage | 18 | 19 | 47 | 16 | 100 |
Source : Primary Data
Table 7 shows the number of vegetables sold by the farmers, majority of the farmers sells four types of vegetables every day, 19 percent sells two vegetables, 18 percent sells single vegetables, 16 percent sells up to six vegetables a day.
Table No.8 Awareness about the market
Agri Dept | News paper | Total | |
Respondents | 60 | 2 | 62 |
Percentage | 97 | 3 | 100 |
Source : Primary Data
The Table 8 shows the awareness about the market, this market is started in first time, so the Agricultural Dept., field staff went to the village selected farmers from village. So 97 percent of the farmers are coming to the market in this way, only 3 percent came to the market by knowing from News paper.
Table No. 9 years of Attending the market by farmers
Type | 1-4 years | 5-8 years | 9 and above | Total |
Respondents | 1 | 3 | 58 | 62 |
Percentage | 2 | 5 | 93 | 100 |
Service : Primary Data
The Table 9 shows the details about the farmers those who are attending the market, 93 percent of the Farmers were attending the market for 1999 onwards only 7 percent came to the market very late by4 to 8 years.
Table No. 10 Quantity of Vegetables sold by the farmers in the Market every day.
Type | 0-50 kg | 51-100 kg | 101-150 kg | 151-200 kg | 201 + | Total |
Respondents | 22 | 17 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 62 |
Percentage | 36 | 27 | 29 | 5 | 3 | 100 |
Source : Primary Data
Table No.10, shows the quantity vegetables sold by the farmers everyday in the market, majority of the respondents sells 50 kg per day, 27 percent of respondents sells 100 kg per day, 29 percents sells 150 kg per day, only 3 percent sells more than 200 kg per day.
Table No.11 Profit earned everyday when compare to wholesale market
Type | Rs 0-200 | 201-400 | 401-600 | 601-800 | 801+ | Total |
Respondents | 5 | 23 | 17 | 13 | 4 | 62 |
Percentage | 8 | 37 | 27 | 21 | 7 | 100 |
Source : Primary Data
The table 11 shows the profit earned by the farmers every day, majority of farmers earn Rs.201 to 400 every day as profit, 27 percent earn 401 to 600, 21 percent earn up to 800 per day, very small portion of respondents (5) receives only up to Rs.200 per day, mostly they sells only greens in the market.
Table 12 Impact of Uzhavar Sandhai
Sex | Loan repaid | Savings increased | Education of children | Land, houses purchased | Marriage of children | Over all economic develop ments | More than one benefit listed 2-6 | No change | Total |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Male | 3 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 27 |
Female | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 35 |
Total | 4 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 3 | 62 |
Percentage | 6 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 12 | 20 | 16 | 5 | 100 |
Source : Primary Data
The Table No.12 shows the impact of Uzhavar Sandhai in the farmers life, 20 percent of the respondents reports that their over all economic condition improved due to marketing their commodity in U.S. 16 percent told that they have benefited more than one benefit listed in the Table, another 16 percent reports that they have purchased new land or constructed a new house, 13 percent reports that they are in a position to Educate their children, 12 percent reports that they were in a position to do marriage to their children, 12 percent reported that they have increased their savings and 6 percent reports that they have repaid their loan. Only 5 percent reported negatively that due to the increasing cost of various input no change has been taken place in their life.
Table No.13 previous working conditions of the farmers
Type | Farmers | Agri coolly | Other coolly works | Construction workers | Others | Total |
Respondents | 36 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 62 |
Percentage | 58 | 20 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 100 |
Source Primary data
The Table 13 shows the details about the previous working conditions of the farmers, 58 percent of them are still farmers only, 20 percent were previously worked as Agricultural cooly, 11 percent as other cooly, 3 percent are engaged in construction works, 8 percent were others including unemployed and in education, they now engaged in selling their products by way of purchasing / leasing land.
Table No. 14 Suggestions for improvement
Type | Improvement in surroundings | Latrine | Bus facilities | Extension of time limit | Total |
Respondents | 23 | 07 | 20 | 12 | 62 |
Percentage | 37 | 11 | 32 | 20 | 100 |
Source : Primary data.
Table No.14 shows the suggestions made by the farmers for improvement of the market, 37 percent of the respondents reports that the surrounding of the market needs some improvement so that the market hygiene will be maintained, 32 percent reported that the bus facility arranged in the morning may be extended in the closing hours, 20 percent reported that the time limit of the closing of the market may be extended, 11 percent reported that the latrine needs some maintenance.
Table 15 Daily and monthly Attendance of farmers in the market
Type | MONTHLY | YEARLY | |||||||
Sex | 1-20 days | 21-30 | Total | Percentage | Less than 6 months | 6-9 | 9-12 | Total | Percentage |
Male | 6 | 21 | 27 | 44 | -- | 1 | 26 | 27 | 44 |
Female | 5 | 30 | 35 | 56 | 1 | 1 | 33 | 35 | 56 |
Total | 11 | 51 | 62 | 100 | 1 | 2 | 59 | 62 | 100 |
Percentage | 18 | 82 | 100 | -- | 2 | 3 | 95 | 100 | -- |
Source : Primary Data
The table 15 shows the details of the farmers regular attendance to the market, 82 percent of the farmers attend regularly to the market except festival days, only 18 percent attended up to 20 days a month due to the availability of the vegetables they grow. 95 percent of the farmers attend the market all the months of the year, few person (5) attend the market for only up to nine months in a year. This table shows that the farmer has planned a cultivation calendar so that they can attend the market regularly without any gap, it is interesting to note that few farmers are attending the market by adopting crop rotation in their field and some farmers are maintained to attended the market by getting vegetables from the other farmers of the village to some extend, they also get it from the wholesale market during cultivation gap, but they are regularly attending the market.
Finding of the study :
· This market is started in 1999, 90 percent of the farmers are attending the market regularly from the date of its inception without any break, this shows that marketing at U.S is profitable to the farmers.
· From observation and discussion it is interesting to note that, among the 62 farmers 50 farmers are marketing only their own produce, by adopting cultivation calendar, crop rotation. Around 22 farmers were attending the market even in cultivation holidays by making their own arrangement of getting from the fellow growers those who are not coming to the market and also from wholesale market. This is the prevailing condition of the U.S of Anna Nagar, Madurai.
· Aged women (above 61) are also regularly attending the market to sell their products.
· Female farmers dominates in the market participation, a lady aged around 65, says that coming to the US helps not only to earn money but also to stop the unwanted expenditure done by their male family members, while attending wholesale markets. She also says that it has given the empowerment to maintain a family with 20 members.
· Farmers from Sivagangai, Dindigul are also participating in the market.
· Farmers opinion is so good about the Agricultural Department staff, as well as consumers cooperation.
· The farmers economic conditions have improved very much, all the interviewed farmers except 3 were reported that they have socially and Economically improved,.
· The farmers earn minimum of Rs.200 to 800 per day from US as profit, 5 persons earn only 200 a day because they sell only greens in the market which needs minimum investment.
· Among the 62 interviewed farmers 26 farmers are previously not farmers, they were engaged in some other activity after the US they purchased or leased land from others and cultivate vegetables and fruits.
· 20 farmers says that the Government should take initiation to extend the bus facility available in the morning to the closing hours.
· 12 farmers reports the time limit is not enough to sell their entire commodity, so time limit have to be relaxed.
Suggesstions
Training on primary processing such as sorting, grading, drying, primary packaging, proper storage, preservation to the farmers is needed .It will lead to the “Value addition to the Agricultural products” which is needed for farm products. Linkage on seeds distribution, financial assistance for cultivation is the need of the hour.
Conclusion :
The Uzhavar Sandhai is a unique farmers market model which is capable of providing answers to several challenges putforth by the globalization of agriculture. One of the positive aspects of the Sandhai is that it does not require much training because all that is required is the introduction of the concept of fair farmers market. Organised innovations and institutional structures do not come that easily within the circle of poor and small and marginal farmers without support from government bodies. Such thought processes may not cross farmers minds as they are for the most part engaged in thinking about their future prospects and family problems created by low income levels and the lack of market for their produce. Thus if they are given the required simple training in marketing techniques, they can decide what to cultivate at what time to sell, at what price and to whom.
Based on the experience gained in running of 7 Uzhavar Sandhais in Madurai District. The District Administration has taken the subject of “Value Addition to the Agriculture products” the Collector Madurai has opened a “Uzhavar Unavagam” farmers hotel where you can get food items prepare from agriculture produce directly by the farmers, the selected farmers are given training to process the agricultural goods in to eatables. Thosai out of Ragi, Cumbu, Maize, Porridge from the small millets,. There is a plan to open few more farmers Hotel in Madurai very soon. Such an innovative initiation in making value addition to the farmers will help not only to the farmers but also to the consumers as well as to the Nation.
(The copy of the paper presented in the National conference on “Rural marketing and Rural Consumerism: Road Map to Build Vibrant Rural India” held at Gandhigram Rural Institute- Gandhigram,Dindugal,Tamilnadu.on 17,18 Dec-2011.and also published as a book on “Rural marketing and Rural Consumerism: Trends and issues” Excel India publishers(www.excelpublish.com) NewDelhi.2011 pp14-19
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