In the face of Covid19, proximity circuits or short circuits are a form of trade based on the direct sale of fresh or seasonal products without an intermediary —or minimizing intermediation— between producers and consumers. Proximity circuits bring farmers closer to consumers, promote humane treatment, and their products, by not being transported over long distances or packaged, generate a lower environmental impact. The rise of proximity circuits as a form of commerce is fundamentally due to a growing demand by consumers, who are looking for local, authentic, healthy and seasonal products. Producers, meanwhile, aim to capture greater value from their production, save in other segments of the chain (transport, packaging, etc.) and create value from intangible assets (brands, territorial anchorage, authenticity, social bond). Indeed, short circuits help to create new social ties, promote fairness in commercial exchanges, promote social participation and apply a pedagogical logic that contributes to greater autonomy for the actors and, with it, to greater sustainability and integration social. One way to promote these short circuits can be the development of online commerce, where farmers offer and consumers buy products. The development of apps oriented to these processes would be an added value.

Yes, COVID-19 has reflected its effects on all the sectors. Agriculture is one of the most important sector among them. In your opinion,to overcome the crisis in the agricultural sector due to COVID-19, we should redesign the marketing system towards e-marketing. Yah, I am agree with you. But, problem is here, most of the farmers are not so literate to operate/maintain the e-marketing. So, In another way government can buy the products from farmers directly from their land which may help to get the appropriate price of their product.

I agree. It is not so much tbe problem of production but of logistics/ distribution.

In the face of Covid19, proximity circuits or short circuits are a form of trade based on the direct sale of fresh or seasonal products without an intermediary —or minimizing intermediation— between producers and consumers. Proximity circuits bring farmers closer to consumers, promote humane treatment, and their products, by not being transported over long distances or packaged, generate a lower environmental impact. The rise of proximity circuits as a form of commerce is fundamentally due to a growing demand by consumers, who are looking for local, authentic, healthy and seasonal products. Producers, meanwhile, aim to capture greater value from their production, save in other segments of the chain (transport, packaging, etc.) and create value from intangible assets (brands, territorial anchorage, authenticity, social bond). Indeed, short circuits help to create new social ties, promote fairness in commercial exchanges, promote social participation and apply a pedagogical logic that contributes to greater autonomy for the actors and, with it, to greater sustainability and integration social. One way to promote these short circuits can be the development of online commerce, where farmers offer and consumers buy products. The development of apps oriented to these processes would be an added value.

Sir/madam

during the Covid 19 Period go for online for marketing Agriculture products and also deliver the email to concerns ICT related

I agree for the idea on e-marketing, so the Governments can put in place the observatory framework to know the availability of agriculture products.

There is no doubt that internet has made marketing easy and fast..and in situations like current pandemic, it is most useful.

• Farmer with small and marginal capacity and those who are at remote places from cities and with less intervention of industrial or/and marketing logistics services are suffering the most than big farmers producing common or industrial commodity. They are already familiar with the process of e-commerce, loopholes in supply chain, storage and alternate routes of utilization of their produce, because these farmers are considering their profession no less than business, therefore they cope up with such situations strategically whenever it is possible.
• Therefore, strengthening the marketing services, forming strategic supply chain by government along with private industries at upstream and by individual farmer or by community at downstream may keep agriculture production undisturbed during any disastrous conditions.

Promotion of e-marketing in the rural areas also might help avoid the intermediaries, who are quite rampant in the rural marketing systems involving farm products. This will help farmers to fetch better prices and get released from the clutches of the middlemen. That said, it is also likely that the intermediaries/ middlemen also find a way out to destroy such direct marketing arrangements between the producers and consumers, which should be contained through creating the network and strengthening the same. Of course, the continuity of such arrangements in the post-Covid scenario will depend on the interest of the producers (who need not be full-time producers) and consumers as well, to invest their time to engage into such activities. One way of coming out this problem will be to create women-operated online rural marketing systems, which can also benefit the women households in the changed scenario. It's often alleged and also observed that women do not get adequately rewarded for their efforts in farming activities, as always men tend to rule the rural markets and negotiate the terms.

A news report from India today, which is an interview with Sanjay Agarwal, Secretary, Agriculture, Government of India, notes the following:

‘Farmers are strong, not vulnerable; they need to be given choices’Option for direct marketing during the lockdown period has reduced government procurement of wheat in some States, says Agriculture Secretary.

The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic led to at least 12 States allowing direct marketing of agriculture produce, which offered greater options to farmers during the lockdown, Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal says. The two new ordinances pushing agricultural marketing reform will widen choices for small farmers, he adds.

Despite the lockdown, this year’s wheat harvest hit record highs, and government procurement at minimum support prices (MSP) is also higher than last year. However, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have fallen short of procurement targets. What is the reason?

I was looking at a video of ITC. This year, because direct marketing was allowed for farmers to sell their produce during the lockdown, they had a line of over two km of tractors outside their purchasing centres. If as a farmer, you are faced with the cost of transport to an MSP centre, and if you are getting the same price at the village level, what will you do? In fact, this year, procurement centres were two and a half times more in comparison to last year. But because direct marketing was allowed and a corporate purchaser was available, that gave the farmer a choice and that changes everything. And that becomes the logic of bringing the trade and commerce ordinance this year, where direct marketing takes place.

Speaking of these two ordinances to reform agriculture marketing and facilitate contract farming, how will they help small farmers?

Both ordinances will be most beneficial to small and marginal farmers. A farmer’s produce is unregulated at time of production, but there are restrictions on where to sell and whom to sell, which is not there for any other commodity globally or in India. The Farm Trade ordinance will open up this ecosystem.

Right now, the farmer can only sell produce to a licensed trader in one of four physical locations: mandis operated by marketing committees, very few private mandis, cold storage warehouses declared as deemed markets, or direct licensees which have to notify a space with certain facilities. Mandi secretaries say most big farmers bring a truckload of produce; they know the officials there, they have access to knowledge about prices and they get the right price. But a small farmer may produce just two quintals. So an aggregator at the village level will take it to the mandi with the understanding that he will take a set percentage of the sale price, and give the rest to the farmer. But in more than 50% of cases, farmers are being cheated by aggregators who get a receipt for a lower price.

Number two, the contract farming ordinance. If I’m a large farmer who grows a large quantity of high quality organic potatoes and sells to a big retail chain dependent on me, I can negotiate my terms. But if I’m a small marginal farmer who wants to grow a high value crop like that which doesn’t have that much demand in mandis, or if I add value in terms of processing, then I have to take the total risk in terms of production and then go find a buyer in the industry.

This ordinance allows the small farmer to benefit from a high value product by transferring the risk to the corporate purchaser, who will buy the produce at a fixed rate. The industry can also provide technology inputs and get seeds and pesticides at wholesale prices, which will translate into higher production, higher value, higher incomes. There is also a unique provision for production agreements, where the farmer is simply paid for agricultural services rendered, and this is very useful in poultry and livestock sector.

Will the safety net of MSP continue to remain effective under the new direct marketing regime?

This provides a different option to farmers. MSP is a support system for the farmer, where he knows he can sell at a certain place for that price. There is a clear assurance that MSP shall continue. But going to the MSP centre also has a cost, so now the farmer has an option to choose direct marketing instead.

Why do you think that the farmer will not understand if the price offered in the village is not the right price? He is aware of the mandi price and the MSP rate. There is also an important provision to develop a price information and market research system under the Act. So he can make an informed choice.

We are also creating the right ecosystem through Kisan Credit Cards, farmer producer organisations which will provide marketing and legal support, and creation of ₹1 lakh crore financing facility for post harvest management.

If you consider a child as weak, and always handhold that child, try to protect that child, the child will never grow. Our farmers are strong, they have knowledge and competence and have brought India to this stage of surplus foodgrain.

Considering farmers as vulnerable, thinking people will take them for a ride in everything, limiting their choices, restricting them — that is not helpful. Every provision in this Act is in farmers’ interest.

My opinion is a technology that supports sub systems of processing and marketing (off-farm), as well as recycling technology of agricultural resources in a broad sense.

Of course the role of transfer of processing technology and marketing (off-farm) as well as recycling must be supported by local governments

The production and marketing of agricultural produces can keep alive through promoting more advanced machineries and digital marketing that help producers and consumers connect systematically.

The agricultural productions is a continuous process through out the year and will keep on growing even in difficult circumstances. In many countries, government has exposed lock down intervention as a prevention strategy for the transmission of COVID-19 pandemic so that less mortality of human life can be observed. While doing so, couple of days people are at home with no job , no money and no food. So the question here is:- you want to die with Corona virus or die with no food. The people prefer not to die from hunger I mean lack of food. So agricultural production has got more priority and has given emphasis for the agricultural production by majority of the people and also by the government.so you better have full diet(Food), become healthy and then only you can fight against corona virus. So agricultural farming has become an important part and parcel of living and livelihood. But, for the production of any crops and livestock, the value chain of those sector like input supply chain, production and output/produce marketing has to go hand in hand. Due to lock down the input supply chain and marketing of the farm produce has been very much affected/disturbed/broken up. Hence, in order to make farming and agricultural production lively, the lock down intervention to input supply chain , production and produce marketing has to be made flexible and loose based on intensity of the corona virus infection and transmission or by maintaining social and physical distance

Khondokar Humayun Kabir As per my vision we have to change the method of supply and marketing and take advantage with first move and grab the market share more because we all know agriculture is primary thing to the goverment s they can feed their citizen...

The concept of agriculture cooperative I think already should be completely applied.

The component of Gotong Royong is a component of leverage in agricultural cooperatives suitable for future agriculture