CUTTACK: With tomato farmers in Athagarh and Badamba resorting to distress sale, the state-run Odisha Rural Development & Marketing Society (ORMAS) has facilitated direct market linkage to eliminate the issue and provide them fair prices for their produce.
Over 100 women farmers, mobilised into producer groups by ORMAS since 2018, are now leading agricultural activities in different parts of the district like Athagarh and Badamba. Parijat Producer Group (Badamba), and Surabhi Producer Group and Mahalaxmi Producer Group (Athagarh) have emerged as successful models of women-led farming.
Apart from other vegetables, these producer groups have also taken up tomato cultivation. However, in absence of proper market linkage, the farmers had to resort to distress sale, selling their produce at throwaway prices of Rs 2 to Rs 3 per kg.
To eliminate the issue, ORMAS recently provided them with direct market linkage with its tied-up processor Bharat Masala Spices Pvt Ltd, which is now procuring tomatoes from the women farmers’ producer organisations (FPOs) at Rs 9 to Rs 10 per kg. Around 88 metric tonne of tomatoes has been procured from farmers in Cuttack district so far.
Joint CEO, ORMAS Cuttack Bipin Rout said the initiative has been further expanded to Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Angul and Jharsuguda which have collectively supplied around 284 metric tonne tomatoes to Bharat Masala. The company will also provide input service in form of seeds to the farmers.
Beyond tomatoes, ORMAS has facilitated supply of maize, chilli and ginger to Bharat Masala. While chillies are being sourced from Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Deogarh and Ganjam, ginger is being brought from Ganjam district.