SHILLONG, JUL 30: The state government is planning to invest in cold storage facilities and agro-processing units to help farmers tide over sharp fluctuations in market prices, Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Timothy D. Shira said on Thursday.
Shira said frequent ups and downs in the prices of farm produce have become common, leaving growers vulnerable.
“Temporarily, the price of agricultural products may come down and then all of a sudden it goes up again. So an up-and-down situation is very common. However, in order to address this, we have to think of other policies so that in the future farmers will not face this kind of situation,” he said.
The Minister ruled out a blanket support price for all crops, citing fiscal constraints, and instead pitched infrastructure as the way forward.
“It may not be possible for the government, because if the government gives support price for everything, it will be a huge expense on the part of the government. But in order to get rid of such a situation in the future, the government will think about other policies.
The construction of cold storage for farmers will be one of the alternatives. When the price of vegetables is very low, they can keep them in cold storage, and when the prices go up, they can take them out and sell them,” Shira stated.
He said the government is also focused on reducing the role of middlemen by strengthening farmer-run processing units. Citing turmeric as an example, he noted that new spice processing units in Bhoirymbong and Jaintia Hills have led to better price realization.
“To eliminate these middlemen, we need cold storages and some other processing units. For example, take the price of turmeric. Now we have established spice processing units in Bhoirymbong and Jaintia Hills as well, and therefore the price of turmeric has also gone up,” he said.
Shira added that cooperatives managing these units are now directly procuring from farmers at remunerative rates.
“With the establishment of processing units, there is no need for middlemen to come and dictate the price. The cooperative societies that are running these processing units fix the price, which is a better price for the farmers. Farmers are directly coming and disposing of their raw material at the processing units,” he said.
The department, he added, will assess demand across districts to set up more such facilities aimed at cutting post-harvest losses and improving farmer incomes.
By Our Reporter
