Online trading of jaggery, a ray of hope for farmers of Mandya

 Preparations are on in full swing at the Mandya Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC), where online trading of jaggery will begin from August 15.

The APMC market will be the first in the district to begin online trading of jaggery. Six computers have been installed, and other arrangements have been completed.

As per the system, the jaggery brought by the farmers will be weighed for which receipts will be issued. The jaggery will be divided into three categories, which will benefit the cane growers, said APMC secretary H C M Rani.

As many as 220 farmers have registered their names for online trading along with 18 traders and 40 agents, which is expected to rise, once the business picks up.

Deputy director D R Pushpa said that traders of the market were deciding the jaggery rates. With  online trading, any trader from any corner of the State may participate in the auction.

The money will be remitted to the account of the farmer within 24 hours of sale, she said. As the traders participate directly in the trading, it would also prevent the intervention of middlemen, who were selling the produce at higher prices in other States.

The jaggery is transported to Koppal, Raichur, Chitradurga, Bangalore, Hubli, Mysore and other states like Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.