Panel sought to streamline Uzhavar Sandhais

By Our Staff Reporter

VELLORE, JUNE 2. The honorary director of the Vellore Institute of Development Studies (VIDS), Vellore, and former professor of economics, Voorhees College, Vellore, Dr. P. Jegadish Gandhi, has appealed to the State Government not to close the ``non- functioning Uzhavar Sandhais'' but to appoint an expert committee to go into the irregularities and inadequacies and streamline the scheme.

He said the closure proposal was not based on statistical realities. As per the available data, from October 1999 when the scheme was launched, till May 2001, about 3.5 lakh tonnes of vegetables, fruits and flowers were sold in 103 sandhais, benefiting about 28.13 lakh farmers and 9.2 crore consumers with a total business of about Rs. 235.52 crores. The actual capital expenditure on the 100-odd sandhais opened so far was only around Rs. 11 crores, and the actual expenditure on annual maintenance was only around Rs. two crores.

Dr. Gandhi said that having gauged the popular resentment to the closure move, the Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalitha, had announced that only the non-functioning uzhavar sandhais would be closed. Political overtones should not override the welfare aspects of any programme.

The scheme had established a close direct contact between the grower-cum-seller and the daily buyers of vegetables. It enabled small farmers and marginal farmers to get as much as 20-25 per cent incremental income through selling vegetables in the regulated farmers' markets. The farmers found a ready market through the sandhais where they could dispose of all their produce in two or three hours.

Customers too were in favour of the continuation of the scheme since as they got fresh vegetables at reasonable prices. Traders in the open markets were forced to bring down the prices of vegetables on a par with the prevailing prices in the sandhais.

The presence of traditional weekly and daily rural markets and the location of sandhais in close proximity to the existing central vegetable markets, crop failure due to drought, far-off location from habitations and lack of patronage from growers were some of the reasons being attributed to the lacklustre performance of many of these sandhais.

Referring to the possibility of small traders using the sandhais to sell vegetables, he suggested that this loophole could be plugged through strict vigilance over issue of identity cards to genuine farmers.

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Section  : Southern States
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