Agriculture Department to hold 2000 Onam markets across Kerala

Pandalam (Pathanamthitta): The Department of Agriculture Development & Farmers Welfare (Kerala) will organise 2000 Onam fairs across the State. This decision comes in response to rising prices of agricultural goods. A meeting chaired by the Kerala Minister for Agriculture decided to set up at least one market in every village panchayat, municipality, and corporation. 

From September 11 to 14, 1,076 markets among these will be managed directly by the Agriculture Department, 160 by Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK), and 764 by Kerala Horticorp.

Meanwhile, ahead of the Onam season, an extensive Agricultural Information Network is being established to regulate vegetable prices across Kerala. This initiative aims to enhance market transparency and manage price fluctuations, especially during the festive period.

Under the coordination of the Directorate of Agriculture Development, data has been integrated from 216 markets statewide into a unified system. This system includes information from the Agriculture Directorate's price control cell and six major wholesale markets: Anayara, Nedumangad, Maradu, Muvattupuzha, Vengeri, and Sultan Bathery.

The network incorporates data from 92 major vegetable markets across various districts and 117 prominent trade centres managed by VFPCK . Detailed price information for over 300 agricultural products will be categorised and made available. Information about more than 2,000 product varieties will be accessible for analysis, according to the department officials.

Farmers and stakeholders will receive real-time updates via mobile phones through the Agriculture Marketing platform developed by the National Informatics Center (NIC). Direct procurement from farmers will also be facilitated, where necessary, to streamline the marketing process.