Marketing of agro products in the country is set to get a boost with international organisations designing an effective plan for the purpose.

The Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI) has prepared concept papers on linking farmers to market (LFM). The Global Forum on Agricultural Research, UN Food and Agricultural Organisation, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research and Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation have committed themselves to strengthening their collaboration in the area of information and knowledge exchange in farm research and development.

“This collaboration by global partners is necessary for the success of LFM,” APAARI executive secretary and former director-general of Indian Council of Agricultural Research RS Paroda said. According to Paroda, access to information, partnership of stakeholders, capacity building of farmers are the issues which need to be addressed on priority. “Fortunately the expanding internal markets in different countries and globalisation of agriculture offer new options, provided LFM approach is adopted and necessary technical backstopping for the post-harvest technology is provided,” he said.

Realising the importance of LFM, APAARI had organised a discussion on PHT for ensuring food security and value addition for enhanced income in Bangkok in 2004 and later convened a working group meeting to review the recommendations of the meeting and to suggest initiatives for strengthening LFM applications in the Asia-Pacific region.

Paroda said that the success of LFM would largely depend on enhanced capacity at the national level for technological advances, new cost effective and resource-saving processes that add value to the products and appropriate knowledge of markets associated with the ability of farmers to get themselves organised.

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