Raitha Santhe evokes good response

The Raitha Santhe which started at the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) yard on Friday in Madikeri has received a good response. With a large number of consumers thronging the Santhe, the vegetables were sold out by noon.

The Raitha Santhe aims at providing better facilities for farmers to sell their produce. There is space for 30 stalls on the premises.

Inaugurating Raitha Santhe, MLA K G Bopaiah said: "Raitha Santhe has been started by the APMC to provide an opportunity to sell the produce directly at a competitive price. The Santhe will benefit the farmers."

Farmers can sell vegetables and fruits at the Santhe. The stalls have been constructed at a cost of Rs 8 lakh. There is enough space for parking of vehicles as well. The auctioning centre and drinking water facilities have been provided at the venue. The APMC will not charge any fee from the farmers. The APMC also plans to have a cold storage facility in the future, said the MLA.

MLC Sunil Subramani said, "many a time the middlemen cheats the farmers. The Raitha Santhe is devoid of middlemen and will help the farmers in getting a good price for the produce."

MLC Veena Acchaiah urged for more awareness on Raitha Santhe.