Trichy farmers in export dilemma

Despite value-added agro products showing sales potential overseas and the state agricultural department’s continued efforts to help, farmers turned entrepreneurs in Trichy say mastering the market is a struggle.

In the latest attempt to educate farmers on exporting without intermediaries, the department of agricultural marketing and agribusiness, along with the Agricultural Marketing Board organised a one-day seminar. About 500 farmers, agri-exporters and Farmers Producers Organisation (FPO) members from Trichy, Perambalur and Pudukkottai participated.

However, except for a few farmers and farmer’s groups, the majority said they had not even registered for export licences claiming the process involved was tedious.

“The registration process, export procedures and regulations, getting international standard certification, export packing techniques, labelling prerequisites, food processing machinery, and food licenses is complicated,” says a farmer. “People like me get stuck in the initial stage. What we need the government to open is a facilitation centre that helps us with the procedures needed to initiate consignments.”

To export vegetables we need a plant quarantine certificate to be submitted, where we have to detail pesticide and chemical fertilisers used, says S Sundhar, a farmer from Trichy. “It becomes a hurdle in export as we use chemical fertilisers encouraged by the agriculture department.”

G Sathish Kumar, secretary of the Export Import Federation Trichy, says the organisation is helping farmers and small entrepreneurs to begin exports. “We launched the centre six months ago. We know the procedures must be strictly followed and farmers can find that difficult. We hope this centre will help them.”

Deputy director of agri-business G Saravanan says experts impart training, including assistance in starting a firm, obtaining a bank account, selecting markets, sending samples, and determining appropriate product pricing.

“We have several farmers who have started successful exports. We are sure the numbers will go up.”