Govt to pay higher than market price for vegetables
GERARD DE SOUZA
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PANJIM: In a bid to rekindle the desire for Goan farmers to plant vegetables on a commercial basis, the Goa State Horticultural Corporation will set up nine procurement centres to buy vegetables from the farmers at a predetermined rate which has been communicated to the farmers and one that is much higher than the market rate.
The first batch of procurement will begin this week at the total eleven centres at Sanguem, Quepem, Bicholim, Panjim (Tonca), Pernem, Dharbandora, Cansaulim (for Mormugao taluka), Mapusa, Margao, in addition to their two existing procurement centres at Canacona and Valpoi.
According to Orlando Rodrigues, Managing Director of GSHC, the idea behind the scheme was to make them cultivate on a commercial basis.
“We want to encourage cultivation on commercial lines, people tend to grow small areas; so we want them to grow large areas and grow vegetables that can be marketed,” Rodrigues said.
The GSHC notifies the price at which they will buy the vegetables from the farmers way in advance, giving the farmer ample time to decide whether he should plant and which crop he should plant. To cite an example, the rates at which the GSHC will buy vegetables on March 31, six weeks from now has already been fixed.
The GHSC supplies vegetable seeds to the farmers either free of cost or at a 50% subsidy with the help of the government. Once the crop grows, they can either sell to the GSHC which is offering a fixed price or to the open market if the open market is offering a higher price.
“The only thing the farmer needs to do is inform us two to three days in advance that he is arriving with his crop to the procurement centre and how much of a crop he is bringing,” Rodrigues said adding that depending on the amount they are going to procure, they will accordingly reduce their purchases from the Belgaum market, where they procure vegetables from to sell to the bulk buyers as well as the many horticulture handcarts that they supply to.
The Corporation will be buying five types of vegetables from the farmers at a fixed price ~ Okra (Bhendi), Cluster beans (tidki midki), green chillies (hirve mirsang), bottle gourd, (kokno dudi) and brinjals (vangi).
The Corporation will be initially buying these five types of vegetables and not others, because these are more marketable than others through the 600 GSHC handcart outlets as well as its bulk buyers like the Goa Medical College Hospital.
Once the GSHC procures the vegetables, it will be sold at the prevailing market rate even if it is lower than the price that it bought the vegetables from with the difference in price being borne by the government.
“The reason why we are offering them a high price is because in Goa the input costs are higher be it the cost of labour or the cost of fertilizers, etc. Whereas in Belgaum, labour is cheaper so they can afford to sell the vegetables cheap,” Rodrigues said adding that the price they were buying the produce from the farmers was around double in some cases than the market rate.
However, the GHSC will procure vegetables only from the registered farmers. Farmers who apply for registration will have to submit the location of their land, the area as well as what crops they intend to cultivate. These will then be verified through field visits of the agriculture officers and only then the farmers will be registered.
“This is done in order that a person claiming to be a farmer does not buy green chillies from the market @ Rs 17/kg and sell it to us at our rate of Rs 30/kg claiming to have planted them,” Rodrigues said.
