CONCEPT
MANA KURAGAYALU
In
order to promote the development of direct ‘Agricultural Produce,
Vegetables and fruit in particular’ marketing in the country, ‘the
GOI enacted the Scheme
for the Development of Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure, Grading
and Standardization of each commodity/item, based on the
likeliness
and acceptance by the consumers’, as per their requirement and
satisfaction’.
In
order to take this guidance forward, Government of Telangana through
its Department of Agriculture Marketing has initiated alternate
marketing systems.
RYTHU
BAZAARS AND MANA KURAGAYALU – THE CONCEPT & INITIAIVE
The
first Rythu Bazaar was established in 1999 at Hyderabad where Rythus
could bring their vegetables and sell them directly to the consumers.
Adequate market space was arranged and provided; no market fee
charged by the APMC. Considering the popularity and success,
presently there are 27 Rythu Bazaars in Telangana State and of these
9 are in the twin cities of Hyderabad/ Secunderabad, alone.
In
order to cater to the increasing demand for fresh fruit and
vegetables due to continuous increase in population and spread of the
twin cities, an alternate marketing system, Mana Kuragayalu, has been
conceived, though nascent, however most accepted and by the consumers
in the urban area. This alternate marketing system is an extension of
Rythu Bazaar concept and the only difference is that it
attempts to link the distant farmers to market their fresh produce
through shortening the supply chain
by establishing Farmer Interests Groups (FIGs)/Farmer Producer
Organizations(FPOs) and Societies in the production clusters by
Horticulture Department. The Vegetables supplied in this project are
low residual.
For
the purpose, a planned approach to organise farmers to collectively
market their produce, Collection Centres (CCs) have been and are
being organised. These CCs are equipped with necessary infrastructure
and equipment to conduct preliminary sorting/grading, for which
Tables, Plastic Crates, Electronic Weighing Scale with printer, full
set of Computer with printer and Data Card along with necessary
manual data record keeping etc. is arranged and provided free of
cost. A person to manage the CC is trained in Quality, Weighing,
Crate management and record keeping per farmer and per item and crop.
Payments
to the farmers’ would be made through Axis Bank on their individual
contribution of quantity, per Grade of an item at CC. Individual
member farmer of the Society shall be issued/provided an ATM Card and
a farmer can access his Bank Account, withdraw the amount deposited
by Mana Kuragayalu in his Bank Account. The details of the individual
Bank Account shall be provided to Mana Kuragayalu as well as the Axis
Bank. This initiative has been taken to bring in financial
transparency in transactions.
Presently,
there are 21 CCs operating in Ranga Reddy and Medak Districts of the
State.
A
Distribution Centre (DC) to handle around 27,000 MTs of fresh fruit
and vegetables being established at AMC Vegetable Market Yard,
Bowenpally and the construction/erection with facilities like Cold
Rooms, mechanical Sorting/Grading Lines, Dry Storage, Crate Store and
a ‘Cash & Carry Store’ is constructed. Presently, the DC
operations are being carried out Distribution center.
To
carry out retail and bulk marketing in the twin cities, 20 such
outlets are operational, including some institutions such as Police
Line, Akshya Pathra, BHEL and Police Academy to name a few. To manage
and operate the Retail Out-lets under Mana Kuragayalu, Ex-Service Men
have been retained as Concessionaire and training programme for the
personal is organised.
To
manage the entire process, CCs, Farmer Payments and receipts from the
Retail and Bulk Buyers, DC operations, Quality/MIS/IT,
Administration, Security and helpers/assistants, it is planned to
retain an Agency and ‘outsource’ the manpower required. The
process of retaining such an Agency has been initiated.
It
may be noted that the basic objective initiating this kind of project
is to ensure remunerative prices the Rythus’ for their produce and
affordable price to the consumers by ‘shortening the supply chain’,
retaining the ‘commercial nature of the business, with no profit no
loss’, however.
Mana
Kuragayalu shall be directly operating and reporting to the
Department of Agriculture Marketing, Government of Telangana
Mana Ooru Mana
Kuragayalu was
launched as new initiative under
Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana VIUC by Hon’ble
Chief Minister on 06.08.2014 to introduce Advance Technology in
vegetable production around Hyderabad to produce vegetables in
off–Season. This programme is joint venture of Horticulture
Department, Marketing Department, Horticulture University and CRIDA.
This programme is being implemented in three Districts with 10
Clusters i.e. Medak-5, Ranga Reddy-3, Mahaboobnagar-2. The production
of the clusters already commenced and established collection centres
to market the produce of the above Clusters through the Mana
Kurayagalu Project.
In
this regard, as a ‘Pilot Project’ Mana Kuragayalu has already
taken following actions:
During
the last one year, FPOs/Co-operatives of the Vegetable Growers in
three Districts viz. RR, Medak and Mehboobnagar have been organised.
Efforts are on to expand to other Districts, too.
There
are around 7000 farmers who are members of these FPOs/Cooperatives.
For
collective marketing, 21 Collection Centres with infrastructure and
necessary equipment has already been established.
Equipment
at each Collection Centre costs an investment of around Rs. 3.00
lakhs, and so far the Government of Telangana with its own and
financial assistance from various Schemes of the Government of India
has already developed infrastructure by financing over Rs, 60.
Lakhs.
A
Central Distribution Facility to aggregate the arrivals from the
Collection Centres to handle around 30,000 MT per annum at the
capital investment of around Rs. 2.00 crores is nearly ready for
handling these vegetables, directly from the farmers.
On
the Marketing front, Retail Points as well as Bulk sale institutions
have been established. Efforts are on to have 50 static Retail
Static and 50 Mobile units to cater to the requirements of the
consumers in the twin cities of Hyderabad/Secunderabad.
The
logistics costs, lifting vegetables from the Collection centres,
their administrative and infrastructure management cost is borne by
the Mana Kuragayalu Project, so far.
Aggregating
vegetables received at the ‘temporary’ Distribution Centre,
staff and other administrative and logistics to market costs’ are
being borne by the Mana Kuragayalu Project.
Considering
that Mana Kuragayalu Project is a developmental initiative to arrange
and provide ‘remunerative prices for the growers of vegetables and
also provide fresh vegetables to the urban consumers at affordable
price’ is determined to achieve its basic objective and all
necessary efforts are being made efficiently and effectively.
The
larger and paramount objective is also to contain prices and
inflation to which, normally, vegetables contribute, throughout the
nation.
It
is understood and believed that in the initial three/four years there
could be deficits/losses while operating this Project commercially.
In this regard, it is proposed and requested that the State
Government, considering the nature and objective of the Project
annuluses/ make good of the losses, if so occurred, for a period of
around 3 years.
The
Government of Telangana may like to accede to the proposal to support
and encourage the most new initiative, though supported by various
Schemes by the Government of India, too.
It
is to put on record that within three years this nascent ‘Mana
Kuragayalu Project’ would be self sufficient to support itself and
continue to develop vegetable farming, supplies and contain prices
and help the urban consumers.
It
is submitted that ‘Mana Kuragayalu’ be declared as a ‘Pilot
Project’ as conceived and being implemented to support and enhance
productivity, arrange post harvest infrastructure in the rural areas,
develop and operate efficient logistics, provide fresh vegetables to
the urban consumers in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secanderabad
in the State.