Farm-to-home: The new go-to for Mumbai
After more than a decade since the state government started ushering in reforms in the agriculture marketing sector, the Covid-19 lockdown has finally made way for farm-to-home concept to take off with more and more farmer companies and groups supplying produce directly to the doorsteps of Mumbaiites.
In the six years that Arjun Mohan, a farmer and founder of Yashwant Essential Farmers Group, started supplying vegetables and fruits directly from farms in Nasik to the doorsteps of Mumbaiites, his regular customer base could grow only up to 1,000 families.
However, over the last month, the farmers group has been supplying produce to more than 50 housing societies across Thane, Kalyan, Powai, Vikroli and Vile Parle. They make four trips weekly to Nasik to Mumbai to supply pre-ordered vegetables directly to housing societies; they do not accept orders from less than 50 families at a time.
Currently, 350 to 400 farmer companies and groups across the state have started supplying vegetables and fruits directly to housing societies and consumers in metros like Mumbai, Pune and Nasik.
The lockdown has increased demand for direct supply of farm produce to consumers while selling the produce at wholesale markets has become more tedious and complicated for farmers.
“The lockdown has enabled farmer companies and groups to set up and formalise supply chains, which we hope will last even after this. Maharashtra has nearly 3,000 odd farmer producer companies, and currently 350 to 400 of them are actively engaged in marketing produce directly. The supply is going largely to big cities like Mumbai, Pune but also at a local level in Nasik, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad and Nagpur,” said Sunil Pawar, managing director of Maharashtra State Agriculture Marketing Board.
He said, “Farmers have linked up with customers through online registrations and mobile apps. We have also restarted 150 weekly farmers’ markets in both Mumbai and Pune by offering them space in each ward.”
Mohan and his wife Gayatri, a business graduate who left her job to implement the farm-to-home concept, have walked a long road to make their business work. They managed to start their business and run it, but their customer base has suddenly mushroomed since the lockdown.
“We would supply to four to five families each in around 30+ housing societies from Badlapur to Colaba. Now, we are supplying to all the residents at more than 50 housing societies. And we do not take orders for less than 50 families. Along the way, we are also learning to be more professional; such as replacing vegetables if there are complaints, better packaging and transport etc,” said Mohan. He said their customer base increased solely through word of mouth.
Greenfield Agro Services, another farm producer company set up in 2012, which sources produce from more than 1,300 farmers, also supplies pre-ordered vegetables, fruits and now even groceries from Nasik to Thane.
“The lockdown has led to a collapse of APMC markets and provided a much-needed scope for farmers to sell produce directly. We are currently supplying 3 tonnes of produce daily to housing societies in Thane. However, if the authorities set up a nodal desk or depute officer to deal with our issues, there is much more potential for farmers group to reach out to urban customers,” said Amol Gorhe, the owner.
The first wave of marketing reforms in the state began in 2006 when the state adopted the model APMC Act, thus paving way for farmers markets, contract farming ventures. Around 10 years after this, in 2016 the former Fadnavis government amended the act to allow sale of vegetables and fruits outside APMC markets.
However, the groups are of the view that the pandemic gave the farm-to-home marketing its real break.