Let farmers sell grains directly: Centre

To reduce the difference between procurement price and the retail rates for farm products, the central government has mooted an idea of setting up a direct marketing mechanism in all metropolises. 

“The model market will first come up in Delhi and later expanded to other metros, including Mumbai. The idea is to allow the farmers an opportunity to sell their produce directly in the market without allowing the middleman eat the larger slice of the pie,” said KV Thomas, union minister of state for food and public distribution systems.  

“Apart from storage of the produce, the farmers would be able to use and preserve their goods with the help of cold storage facilities.  To strengthen them financially, loans at 5% interest will also be given to them,” said the minister.

While admitting leakages in the public distribution systems (PDS), Thomas directed the state government to follow the model which has been successfully implemented in states like Chhatisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.   

The ministry has announced to plug this hole and directed the state governments to deal with the issue on a priority basis.