‘Atma kisan bazaar’ a boon for farmers

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 21

‘Atma kisan bazaar’ is proving a boon for progressive farmers and self-help groups (SHGs). Farmers are able to sell their products on this platform, which has been started by the district administration since April 8. The market is set up at the office of the district Agriculture Department from 3 pm to 7 pm every Sunday.

The motive behind starting the bazaar is to provide a place to progressive farmers and registered SHGs for selling their products without the presence of middlemen under the Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) programme.

Since its inception, 11 bazaars have so far held where farmers have sold products within the range of Rs 5 to Rs 2,000. Farmers have also earned profits.

Jaswinder Singh Khera, project director of ATMA, said farmers sold vegetables, pickle, honey, wheat flour, pulses, milk, chutney and other products and the SHGs sold various types of bags.

“No rent is taken from farmers and SHGs for installing their stalls in the market. All products are organic which are safe to use. The city residents have also given energetic response to the market,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pradeep Kumar Agrawal, Deputy Commissioner, who played a key role in starting this project, exhorted farmers and SHGs to take maximum benefit of this market.