Maharashtra CM Launches Mumbai’s First Farmer-To-Consumer Market

Living the spirit of freedom on the eve before Independence Day Devendra Fadnavis took the initiative to free farmers from clutches of middlemen and traders. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched the first of its kind market in Mumbai.

People can now buy fresh vegetables directly from the farmers from the new farmers market at the Sant Shiromani Shri Savta Mali Athavda Bazar inside the premises of the state legislative building, Mumbai.

This is an initiative to bridge the gap between consumer and the farmer, hence cutting the middlemen and intermediaries. The market will be open every Sunday; it will have about 35 tonnes of vegetables produced by farmers from Junnar in Pune district, Palghar and Thane.

Fadnavis, who bought vegetables from the market, plans to spread more such market in Mumbai. Fadnavis Govt. freed the sale of vegetables and fruits from the purview of the archaic Maharashtra Agriculture Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act in July. The amendment allows farmers to sell directly to consumers. Now farmer need not sell their produce to traders at agricultural produce marketing committees (APMC). So the farmers wouldn’t need to pay for transport, loading, and unloading, and weighing and to the various agents around these services.

There are about 40 stalls at this market which will trade every Sunday between 9am and 3pm. After the amendment to the APMC Act; 35 such markets had been set up in the state as per Sadabhau Khot, the Minister of state for marketing, a farmer himself. Agricultural marketing board of Maharashtra plans to roll out 100 such direct markets across Thane and Mumbai.

The Logical Indian applauds the initiative taken by Fadnavis government. It is a win-win situation for both the farmers and the consumers. The consumer will get fresh produce directly from the farmers and farmers won’ need to pay the middlemen.