Direct marketing
Topic: Agricultural Marketing, MSP, Buffer Stocks and PDS · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Direct marketing means farmers sell their produce straight to processors, retailers or consumers outside the mandi. It bypasses intermediaries. Fewer layers of intermediaries means the farmer can keep a larger share of the final price. The Model APMC Act 2003 encouraged states to allow direct marketing. NCERT notes that selling directly to consumers "increases their incomes".
Example
Farmers bring vegetables and fruit to Rythu Bazars in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (1999) and to Uzhavar Sandhais in Tamil Nadu (1999), and sell straight to households. Apni Mandi in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan and Hadapsar Mandi in Pune work the same way.
Don't confuse with
- Contract farming: here a firm agrees before sowing to buy produce of a set quality at a pre-decided price, and often supplies inputs. In direct marketing, ready produce is simply sold without a middleman, usually at the going price.