Usually, around this time of the year, farmers will start taking their vegetable produce to auction yards. But with the COVID-19 pandemic, the auction yards across the country is off-limits. In a special initiative, the Food Corporation of Bhutan (FCB) launched an online farmers’ market system, where farmers can directly sell their products to prospective buyers, yesterday.
The online platform has two features. One of the features is meant for the domestic market, where buyers and sellers can make a deal online and arrange logistics and payments on their mutual convenience.
Dorji Tashi, the Director for the Department of Corporate Business with FCB says this arrangement will be very convenient since there will not be any involvement of third parties. “If a seller has 100 sacks of cabbage, he can advertise it on the online platform along with his contact details. A prospective buyer can immediately call the number, discuss price and the two parties can do business. There will be no third party involved,” he said.
The second feature is where the FCB will play a central role starting from the purchase of produce from farmers to logistics, payment settlement, and export.
“The government will decide the price of different products. The Agriculture Ministry will decide the maximum buyback rates. We plan to buy based on the buyback rates. But this is just a plan right now and the government has not decided on it. Our proposal was on those lines and we think this is how it will work out,” he added.
The FCB is looking to reach out to farmers about the platform via the Local Government. The initiative is done in collaboration with the Royal Securities Exchange of Bhutan and can be accessed via the FCB website.
Sherub Dorji
