The Banana Growers Federation welcomes 'Agriculture Marketing Amendment Bills 2020'
Coimbatore: The Banana Growers Federation has welcomed the reform made in Agriculture marketing amendment Bills 2020 tabled by the Central Government.
In a press release it is said, "Policy reforms in agriculture have the dual responsibility of ensuring that the sector achieves higher growth, delivers higher income to the farmers and at the same time addresses the food security concerns. With an ultimate objective to allow agricultural markets to operate freely and encourage private sector participation to the benefit of farmers and attract greater investments and participation, the recent reforms are welcomed by the private sector and farmers organization both.
High value agriculture and horticulture in this context is a major contributor towards doubling farmers' income. Given the rising demand for these commodities and the high perishability, development of an end to end value chain that ensures higher prices to the farmers, takes care of seasonality issues through effective procurement, storage and processing opportunities is ensuring a better growth for the farmers group and federation across the country.
One such federation based out of Tamil Nadu, The Banana Growers Federation welcomes the reforms stating “Our whole hearted welcome and support to the Agriculture marketing amendment Bills 2020 tabled by the Central Government: The Agriculture trade promotion and facilitation Bill has done away with the APMC act to help farmers to do barrier free trade across the country without any hitch on permit, cess, entry tax etc., In fact our state has amended free trade with in the state long back and now farmers and traders will be waived of the Market cess and commissions that gives good relief to them.”
The President, AP. Karuppaiah explained that Tamil Nadu Banana Growers Federation has been closely working with the private sector since 2009. Over the years, with more exposure and interaction with the industry, Tamil Nadu Banana Growers Federation has started to adopt scientific crop management, and post-harvest handling practices thereby increasing banana production in the region. With support from Small Farmers' Agriculture-Business Consortium (SFAC), a farmer producer company (FPC), named Tamil Nadu Farmer Producer Company Ltd was formed out of the Federation on 25 July 2014. The FPC consists of 47 Farmer Interest Groups from 13 districts of Tamil Nadu. It is 1000 farmer shareholders.
Bayer Material Science had supported the FPC with a solar drying unit in 2012 for developing value added banana products. The FPC has been preparing honey coated dehydrated banana figs in the solar drying units. With time the FPC has diversified into production of other value-added banana products such as banana powder, cookies, dried banana with nuts, banana toffees coated with chocolate or vanilla, etc.
At present the FPC is selling honey coated dehydrated banana figs, banana coated with dry fruits and two variants of cookies – banana & millet and banana, millet & moringa leaves, on the e retail platform, Amazon. The FPC is selling the value-added banana products under the brand name ‘Madhur’. They have recently started engaged in dehydrated vegetables such as moringa leaves & stems, tomatoes, onions, etc. The Farmers of the Tamil Nadu Farmer Producer Company Ltd supplies fresh and value-added banana products to the domestic and export market mainly in Bahrain and recently exported to European countries as well.
He mentioned that “The Empowerment and protection, farm services bill gives an improved version and legal status to contract farming that enables even the FPOs and farmer groups to enter in to an agreement with the buyer on price of the crop for one cycle with MSP and the buyers scope of technology and implements on pre and post-harvest practice . The Essential commodity act is an act of extraordinary situation on shortage that should have been amended long back for ease of doing agri business.”
Currently there are 200 value added products prepared by members of the Federation. With the private sector coming along to set the post-harvest infrastructure the losses have come down by 20% by implementing the right handling system. The on-ground implementation of cold chain in Theni district has resulted in drastic increase in farmers income and has urged the farmers to create a cooperative to scale up the operations. The movement has in fact resulted in creation of 3000 ripening chambers across Tamil Nadu and pack houses in Theni District. The establishment of infrastructure has resulted in an increase of Rs. 1 to 1.5 per Kg of produce for the farmer. On an average land of one acre, the farmers are now getting Rs.17000-20000 more price for the produce."