NAMSAI, 23 Sep: NABARD General Manager Partho Saha on Friday laid the foundation stones for construction of two rural haats, in Alubari and New Mohong villages, in Namsai district on Friday.
The marketing infrastructure, funded by the NABARD’s Itanagar regional office, will be implemented by the Namsai Organic Spices & Agricultural Products (NOSAAP), a farmers-producers company, in collaboration with the PLF of SHGs, promoted by the ArSRLM.
The rural haats will have a market shed with a raised platform, a small storage room-cum-office space, toilets with water supply and sanitation facilities, solar lighting system, a solid waste disposal pit, etc.
Saha urged the farmers and villagers to utilise the infrastructure optimally and not just for one or two days in a week. He emphasised on the importance of regular collection of charges by the rural haat management committee in order to maintain the haats and regulate the participation of vendors.
At present, the farmers of the nearby villages sell their local fresh vegetables along the roadside, without any permanent shed or structure.
NOSAAP CEO Chau Athina Chauhai said that “the rural haats will help mitigate the marketing hardship faced by the local farmers, vegetable growers and women SHGs to sell their agriculture and horticulture produce.”
NABARD DDM Kamal Roy also spoke.
Later, the NABARD GM flagged off a ‘mobile mart’ van, which will act as a market outlet of the NOSAAP and also help in transporting the agricultural produces from the fields to the market.
He also launched a rural mart in Miao in Changlang district.
The NABARD will provide grant assistance to cover the initial operational costs, like rent and salary of salespersons, cost of promotion, and basic capital costs.
The scheme is part of the marketing initiatives supported by the NABARD to enable the producers to sell their farm and off-farm products at reasonable prices by avoiding involvement of intermediaries and monopoly of established businessmen.
It will also serve as a link between the producers and the customers, thus aiding the generation of additional income and employment at the grassroots level.
The mart will provide employment and livelihood opportunities to many SHG members/families in the district.
Later, the NABARD GM inspected the ongoing construction work for a rural haat in Miao.
