Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

Farmers cultivating Medicinal Plants suffer and the Brokers benefit a lot. Can't the

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vtaram

New Member
Farmers sweating out their blood in the fields and cultivate Medicinal Plants or whatever crop. But, after the Harvests, it is only the Brokers and Industry guys getting the creams, by brokering and simply awaiting the farmers sweat and blood.
So, what I feel is can't the Government care a little for the Poor farmers instead of the Brokers and Industry.
As it is pathetic as well as frustrating to hear from the industry and brokers, that they are ready to pay only Rs. 20 or Rs. 30 only for a dried Kilo of some of the products, which takes a year long and time energy, hardwork, endurance to produce.
But, the Guys offering the dust for your sweat makes a lot of money and walks away laughing.
Can't people concerning about Farmers do about anything for us the poor farmers?????
 

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)


Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

rahul d

New Member
This is true, there should actually be a forum (or a page on this forum) somewhere that the farmers can interact directly with the buyers (or brokers if they are giving a good price) it is probably happening on this site but it should be more organized.
 

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

agri1972

New Member
Only thing - adjust the time of sowing and harvest

It is difficult to do with the deep decline in price during abundant production.
Alternatively we can choose wise plants that will have marketing demand at the time of harvest.
Careful avoidance of same crop ubiquitously planted in a geographical area is necessary to prevent risks of price drop.
 

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

rahul d

New Member
Careful avoidance of same crop ubiquitously planted in a geographical area is necessary to prevent risks of price drop.
That is true but given the difference of price of the product in the market compared to the price the farmers are paid one good alternative would be to give everyone an option to buy and sell directly from the source. In this age a website looks like a good platform for such a solution. Wish this website did that.
 

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

editorialteam

New Member
Challenges faced by medicinal plants farmers -

There have been many challenges & we still face some. As far as farming is concerned, farmers do not get agree to be innovative & work & think as per their mindsets & most importantly the illiterate farmers do not respect their word. If some buyer is dependent on some farmers & at the time of handing over the material to the buyer, farmers if even they have a wrong notion about the market, believing on those rumors, they easily break their commitment whereas if a farmer is literate, he understands the market, knows rates & dealing happens smoothly. Second thing, farmers look for someone local & believe him.

Subsidy is also one of the major things which attracted the foolish people rather than attracting genuine farmers.

As far as marketing challenges are concerned, there have been & there are still challenges. First of all, the previous traders & NGO operators fooled people by promising them certain returns which were not at all possible & this created a problem when the material did not get marketed at the rates which were previously thought of.

We have huge requirements of stevia, safed musli, sarpgandha & nepali shatawar but again the farmers also want someone local & the farmers are so bound to home sickness that they do not contact us.

Therefore farmers will have to approach genuine buyers & both will get benefitted if farmers coordinate with us & grow crops as per the buyer requirements because market has a pace & is full of ups & downs & therefore the farmer must also keep this in mind that farming will benefit you if you treat it as pure business.

Solution to the problems of medicinal plants farmers and traders

Sponsorship to trades must be given if they are not just trading but also creating awareness & promoting medicinal crops & subsidies to farmers working in groups.

Proper communication between traders & farmers of medicinal crops & this can happen if government provides contact address & contact numbers to the persons who are promoting medicinal crops & making things happen with their effort now also without any support.

Government must dedicate 1 month to a crop & must provide buyers-sellers information via mail Government must hire persons who know everything from cultivation to market - in short - from seed to selling & arrange their guest lectures in entire nation & must be honored as well.


As replied by -
Mr. Devesh Sharma
 
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Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

editorialteam

New Member
Problems and Challenges

Looking to the globalization no more youths are interested in the agriculture activity. The young boy of famer if asked want to become the Doctor, Engineer, Chartered Accountant or MBA else. Hardly have we found the young generation coming into the Agriculture sector. Government is providing good colleges universities for the education of the upliftment of the farmers but this is the fact that no more graduates come back to the field for the farming. They either become the sales man of some seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, irrigation companies, Lucky person may join Banks and some Master graduates become consultants and so on. I find the great vacuum creating in the agriculture sector. Best quality seeds, fertilizers, growth promoters’ crop, and protection methods have developed but the real farmer is being neglected. He still lives in niche. Labor charges are going higher and it has become difficult for the large farmers to operate the land with less labors and higher wages. More over the Government MNRGE has also suck the labors from the field. Competing with the system of government again is a great hurdle for the farm operators. Labor have to do an easy job there, with no responsibility and so why they come to the farm where his work is been taken under the inspection of the land owner or the farmer. Labor at any wages refuses to do work in many places where he get such work. Now it is the question for the mechanized farming should be implemented but again capital investment in low land area.

Solution

Medicinal crop is a god’s gift for the farmers suffering from the various problems like less water, harassment of grazing animals, and some theft problem of common cash crop from the field. Farmer can get the best benefit of returns if the crop grown as per the standard required by the industries. On the other hand the farmer has the limited market potential. They need to take care about the quality, need the right timing for the crop to harvest as some active ingredients may get lost in maturity or on flowering stage etc. He needs the proper guidance for the growing and post-harvest treatment needed.

Shared by-
Mr. Chirag Gajjar, Proprietor
 
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Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)


Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

editorialteam

New Member
Irony of Government Facilities

Mr. Taram highlights, “there is an APMC building standing in the market in our town and APMC yard which belongs to farmers for storing our crops is occupied by the electronic goods like mobile handsets, cosmetics etc. Finally, we farmers have to keep our crops outside in the open field and we will be awake whole night so that no one steals or no animals eat our crops by binding fire in the open place.”

He continues to add, “once I went to the chairman asked him - can you tell me which crop produces mobile handsets and cosmetics so we farmers also grow that crops and can make our crops also secured inside the APMC building. It is very frustrating to see we are left on the street and the place where the building has to be given a chance of storing farmer’s crops are occupied by mobile handsets and cosmetics.”

Shares -
Mr. Vijay Taram
 
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Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

editorialteam

New Member
Ignorance from Government

Indian medicinal plant farmers feels Government policies are never been followed by the concerned officers in any of the state. There might be some bill boards to display the present rate of Delhi, Siliguri, Kolkata and so on but actually no one is bothered to put these prices on bill board for the farmers enabling them to see these prices at Delhi, Kolkata and Punjab on a daily basis and allowing them to bargain with the middleman or the buyer accordingly. It is very unfortunate that there absolutely no communication with anyone to speak and no officers are sincere enough to do their duties.
 

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

editorialteam

New Member
Problem Creators for Farmers

Mr Taram says, “One of the major concerns which is hindering the farmers of Arunachal Pradesh is that we get the reports from the APMC to sell our products and when we come down to Assam, the Assam police officials say that APMC report does not have any bearing on the Assam Police and they do not allow farmers to carry their crops for selling. Instead, they charge lot of money as bribe.

The Assam police are the main hindrance to the development of the agricultural activities in Arunachal Pradesh. We have to bribe every time all the way not only at one stop but till we reach Guwahati , wherever the Assam police check gates we have to pay each and every one of them. When we think about our hard labour and they just simply put on a uniform and ask money just like that.”
 

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

editorialteam

New Member
Farmer Needs -

There is so many exotic things in our place one of the main problem is there is no laboratory to detect like for example what is the percentage of Curcumin in Turmeric in the whole state and then all the things are naturally produced and no one uses the pesticides chemicals but we are not getting the certification of organic products.

Getting the certificate as organic products is like almost reaching the sky for the farmers here. It has to be normalized and it has to be accessible for all the farmers and not only high end farmers.

On summing up the whole farmers need -
[a] We need laboratory in all the districts and in all the states of India
Police should not harass the farmers. We are not the revenue generators for the police.
[c] Organic certification should be easily available for all the farmers who are growing in natural way

Says -
Mr. Vijay Taram
 

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

lingam5

New Member
cultivating meicinal plant and marketing

Medicinal plant business is gradually getting stream lined. National medicinal plant board is functioning from Delhi. Each state is having state medicinal plant board. It is operating directly or in association with Horticulture department. National medicinal plant board has found out nodal agencies in each state and provided training to the farmers. In karnataka, GKVK, Bangalore is one such centre, Hulimavu biotechnology centre, Indian institute of horticulture research is having a medicinal plant division, Central institute of medicinal aromatic plants, Yelahanka Bangalore is also providing guidelines to growers. Tamil Nadu agriculture university is one of the important centre for medicinal plants. They are providing trainings and conducting work shops etc.There is sufficient response from the public.
During the course of learning several mistakes happens. Whoever clever enough is winning the race. Gross root level several villagers earning money by supplying the medicinal herbs like Tulasi, Gymnema, Keelanelli, Punarnava, Neem leaf, Tribulus fruit, cissus quadrangularis, cyperus tuber etc. They are happily doing the job regularly for their bread and butter.
 

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

krishnagokhale

New Member
You should go for buy back arrangements...

There are many big companies engaged in Ayurvedic product formulations. There are also companies who are doing solvent free extraction of active ingredients. For certain Allopathic medicines/ Agriculture crop protection products, such ingredients are either a starting material or are important active ingredients. The difficulties faced by farmers is the lack of knowledge of real value addition to his product. Please let me know what are the medicinal herbs you are growing so that I will provide you some leads to fetch better prices to your crop. I will not charge you anything for this advice. It will be sharing of my knowledge for your benefit.
Thanks,
Mr.K.G.GOKHALE- Pune (Maharashtra)
Mob: 09552132674
 

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

krish63

New Member
Farmers sweating out their blood in the fields and cultivate Medicinal Plants or whatever crop. But, after the Harvests, it is only the Brokers and Industry guys getting the creams, by brokering and simply awaiting the farmers sweat and blood.
So, what I feel is can't the Government care a little for the Poor farmers instead of the Brokers and Industry.
As it is pathetic as well as frustrating to hear from the industry and brokers, that they are ready to pay only Rs. 20 or Rs. 30 only for a dried Kilo of some of the products, which takes a year long and time energy, hardwork, endurance to produce.
But, the Guys offering the dust for your sweat makes a lot of money and walks away laughing.
Can't people concerning about Farmers do about anything for us the poor farmers?????
i would be interested in helping here. do you have any ideas on what we can do? Please email me
 
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Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

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