State to come up with 100 vegetable purchase centres

Kolkata: The Agricultural Marketing department is coming up with 100 vegetable purchasing centres across the state for facilitating direct purchases from the farmers.

About 46 such centres have already started functioning across the state.

The purchasing centres were conceived in the backdrop of escalating prices of vegetables in recent times. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had to intervene and direct the state administration and the police to take suitable measures to bring down the price of vegetables, particularly potatoes and onions.

“We want to ensure that farmers get the right price for their produce and don’t go for distress selling under any circumstances. These centres will be run by SHGs (Self Help Group) and FPOs (Farmer Producer Companies),” said Becharam Manna, state Agricultural Marketing minister.

Twenty such purchasing centres have come up at East Midnapore, 4 in North 24 Parganas, two each in Nadia East Burdwan, Hooghly , Bankura , Purulia and Cooch Behar and one each in Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, South Dinajpur, North Dinajpur, Malda, Darjeeling, Murshidabad, Birbhum, West Midnapore and Howrah.

“The move will ensure farmers get the right price for their produce even when prices shoot up in the market due to hoarding by a section of traders. The vegetables directly purchased from farmers will be channelized through the Sufal Bangla outlets so customers can also buy them at 10-15 per cent lower prices in comparison to the market. The price of vegetables has dipped to the extent of 40 per cent in comparison to July first week price. Potatoes are selling at Rs 32-33 presently in the retail market which had risen to Rs 35 per kg. In 493 Sufal Bangla outlets are operating in Kolkata and its adjoining urban areas while 110 temporary stalls were set up in the districts to address the present situation.

The SHGs have been roped in and they are operating 186 temporary stalls. The Sufal Bangla outlets are selling potatoes at Rs 29 per kg.