Page 82 - Putting Farmers First

MARKET ACCESS

No matter what a farmer grows, without
access to avenues to sell produce, income
cannot grow.

For better market access, farmers need more
markets as well as better infrastructure
to access these markets. Under the Modi
government, thousands of rural markets
are being developed and upgraded. At the
same time, rural road connectivity has also
seen a major improvement. Both of these
are saving time and money for farmers by
taking markets closer to them.

Now, Modi government has freed Indian
farmers to sell both in APMC mandis
and outside. If farmers want to sell in the
mandis, they are free to do so. If farmers
find a willing buyer at their doorstep, they
can take advantage of that as well. Earlier, if
farmers sold outside APMC markets, those
transactions were often deemed illegal and
they did not get any legal cover in case the
buyer cheated them.

Now, when farmers sell outside the markets,
they have a legal framework assisting them
so that they are not cheated by unscrupulous
buyers.

Finally, farmers are free, just like any other
producer, to sell at a price they decide

75 | Putting Farmers First