'Kisan Mandi' for farmers to sell cheaper fruits and vegetables to consumers and wholesalers

NEW DELHI: Farmers will soon be able to sell cheaper fruits and vegetables directly to consumers and wholesalers in the capital, which will get India’s first such wholesale trading centre outside the jurisdiction of the state government-controlled Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC).

On Thursday, agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh laid the foundation stone for the Kisan Mandi, which will come up in Alipur. With the Kisan Mandi, the government is targeting the elimination of middlemen so that farmers can also get a better deal for themselves by selling fruits and vegetables directly to wholesale and retail consumers.

Farmers and farmer producer organisations will be able to meet part of Delhi's demand of 15,000 tonnes of vegetables a day through this market, which is expected to start in about two months.