The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Integrated agricultural retail centres to come up

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Monday, Feb 16, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Integrated agricultural retail centres to come up

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Coromandel Fertilisers is all set to start ‘Mana Gromor,’ an agricultural rural retail centre for farmers, in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu very soon. This follows the successful run of it in Andhra Pradesh for over one year.

Mana Gromor is a chain of agricultural rural retail centre that enables the farmer to get all the necessary farm inputs including lifestyle products. Currently, there are 300 centres in Andhra Pradesh that caters to over 15 lakh farmers. The first retail outlet was inaugurated at Sattenapalli in Guntur district during April 2007.

Every two mandals will have one centre measuring 2,500 sq.ft of space costing Rs.25 lakh and will cater to the needs of 5,000 farmers from the vicinity. Every five centres will be attached to a mother centre measuring 5,000 sq.ft of space. State Bank of India has been roped in to provide financial products.

“Seeing the success, the Andhra Pradesh Government has asked us to set it up throughout the State. Within one year, we will add 100 more centres that would cover another 5 lakh farmers. In the second year, we will add 600 more centres covering 30 lakh farmers. We will soon start our centres in Maharashtra and Karnataka. It might take more than a year to start the centres in Cuddalore and North Tamil Nadu region,” A. Vellayan, CFL chairman told The Hindu.

“Each outlet will sell all major and minor nutrients, seeds, farm implements at Maximum Retail Price, while bank loans are offered at one per cent more than the bank rate. We are also providing them crop and weather insurance. These centres are being set up in catchments areas that would cover at least 5,000 farmers,” he added.

To help the farmers, trained personnel will visit the villages, collect soil samples and advise them on the fertilisers and pesticides to be used.

There would be a laboratory attached to each centre. “We will also give a report card to the farmers stating the deficiencies,” he said.

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