Agri Marketing dept starts installing GPS in mobile Sufal Bangla stalls

Kolkata: The state Agricultural Marketing department has started installing GPS in its Sufal Bangla mobile outlets to have a clear idea of the exact location of the vehicles.

"We have already installed GPS tracking system in 20 of our mobile vehicles on a pilot basis. These vehicles operate in Kolkata and Salt Lake areas. Gradually, we will be putting up this facility in all our Sufal Bangla mobile outlets," a senior official of the state Agricultural Marketing department said.

"The GPS system will maintain transparency in our operation and will give us an idea whether the vehicles are following the right track. We have been frequently getting phone calls from customers in case of slightest delay in reaching the location earmarked for the mobile outlets. Now, we will be able to tell them the location and the tentative time to reach there," the official added.

State Agricultural Marketing minister Tapan Dasgupta on Wednesday inaugurated five Sufal Bangla stalls including three in Kolkata, taking the total number of such stalls to 112.

The three stalls in Kolkata unveiled by the minister include one in New Alipore, one in Charu Market and another in Kankurgachi, while the other two that were inaugurated are located at Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya campus at Mohanpur, Nadia and at Itahar in North Dinajpur. All the stalls that were unveiled are static ones, with their total count presently being 38.

It may be mentioned that Sufal Bangla stalls were introduced in 2014, to ensure that common people get fresh vegetables at the right price. The stalls are mainly run by different Farmers' Producers Organisations (FPOs), which collect vegetables directly from farmers and sell them in the stalls.

It benefits both farmers and common people. The farmers get the right price for their produce and hence are not required to depend on middlemen, while people get fresh vegetables at the right price.

The prices of all sorts of vegetables, including the organic ones, are updated daily on the Sufal Bangla website, so that the customers can know the prices in advance before going to the outlets.

The department is also developing an app so that the products available in the Sufal Bangla stalls can be home-delivered.