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Farmers' rally in favour of e-chaupal

By Our Staff Correspondent

BHOPAL, DEC. 17. Five days after the licensed grain and oilseed traders had given a call for an indefinite strike to oppose the new system of grain procurement outside the mandi premises introduced in Madhya Pradesh by ITC Limited, the Pragatisheel Kisan Manch (Progressive Farmers' Forum) held a huge rally in the State capital today to demonstrate their stakes in the corporate procurement of grains.

While the licensed traders, who have gone on strike in large areas of Madhya Pradesh to demand amendments in the Mandi Act to make it mandatory for the corporate sector to go for open bidding at the mandi premises, the farmers came to the State capital in large numbers today and took part in a rally at Yadgar-e-Shahjehani Park in the old city to demonstrate their faith in the newly set up e-chaupals at the initiative of ITC.

The traders have given a call for a State-wide bandh on December 20 to protest against the system of e-chaupals. ITC introduced its e-chaupal model in Madhya Pradesh in September 2001. ITC followed the strategy of handpicking a few farmers from villages spread across the State and provided them with desk-top computers and internet facilities. These became the e-chaupals run exclusively by the farmers designated as "sanchalaks".

The e-chaupals became the hubs for disseminating the rates at which ITC was to procure grains on a day to day basis. What has been of immense help is the strategic move of including the mandi commission agents as part of their rural network. These mandi agents, called the e-chaupal

sanyojaks, provide the most crucial information, that is the prevailing mandi rates that help the ITC fix the rates for procuring grains outside the mandi premises.

ITC officials point out that more than the rates, the farmers were finding it more convenient to sell their produce at ITC procurement centres as there was chaos at mandis, where they have to shell out money for weighing and unloading the produce. At times when the mandis are crowded, they even have to stay overnight for their turn to unload their stocks.

On the other extreme are the e-chaupals where the farmers are instantly paid in cash and have to spend very little time due to the modern weighing system installed at these centres. The e-chaupals are also being developed as shopping malls where the farmers can purchase seeds, fertilizers, household goodies and even tractors and motorcycles.

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Farmers' rally in favour of e-chaupal

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