Vegetables and fruits are usually locally consumed or sold to middlemen from Assam, who then sell them back to the markets across Arunachal at much higher prices. Recently, there was a report that fresh ginger was transferred from the Doni Dongor Farmer Producer Company Ltd in Siang district to the Kanubari Agro Spices Producer Company in Longding. This is a welcome development and should be emulated across the departments.
Sourced directly from the interior villages of Siang district, the ginger was shipped through market linkages facilitated under the Transformation of Agriculture through Market-led Interventions in the Northeast Region project, led by Palladium Consulting India Pvt Ltd and SeSTA Organisation.
In another instance, the Kenna Women Farmers Producer Company Ltd in East Siang district has signed a memorandum of understanding with X5 Agrotech Farm Producer Company Ltd in Namsai for the supply of 100 metric tonnes of green ginger.
Such initiatives should be expanded to other districts as well to help farmers sell their produce directly, without the involvement of middlemen who make the profit. Produce often gets rotten in the absence of market linkages, or farmers are forced to sell their produce at very low prices in the market or to middlemen using an exploitative business model. The government can play a big role in facilitating cold storage facilities as well as direct marketing. Transportation is an issue for most small-time farmers, so the government should facilitate transportation to designated avenues.