Vijayapura raisin farmers have benefited from a sharp rise in online trading, with 4.59 lakh kg of raisins sold in an August 1 auction. MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal said the move has improved transparency and benefited farmers.
City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal said the average value of raisin transactions has increased from ₹5 crore to ₹12 crore.
He described the rise as a positive development following a recent meeting to prioritise the online trading market, which was introduced to ensure transparent transactions and protect the interests of farmers.
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Concerns Over Private Raisin Trading Practices
Although an online trading market for raisins was established in Vijayapura city, some individuals reportedly formed private associations and introduced their own rules without any connection to the APMC.
Some traders allegedly participated in auctions and purchased raisins at low prices, causing losses to farmers.
In addition, these individuals were reportedly charging farmers rent for storing their produce in private cold storage facilities. They were also allegedly collecting a 2% commission after the sale of the produce.
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Online Raisin Trading To Curb Farmer Losses
These practices were causing losses to farmers, who were allegedly not receiving fair prices for their produce and were also being charged unnecessary commissions. There were also complaints about discrepancies in the weight of the produce.
To address these concerns, a meeting was held on July 28 at the APMC premises with grape growers and APMC officials.
During the meeting, it was unanimously decided that raisin trading would be conducted through the online trading market twice a week.
Online Raisin Auction Records Higher Trading Volume
The strict instructions issued by the legislators appear to have yielded results, with 4.59 lakh kg of raisins traded in the online auction held on Saturday, August 1.
This is more than double the earlier volume of 2.17 lakh kg.
The maximum price recorded during the auction was ₹390 per kg.
The number of buyers also increased from 14 to 25, while the number of brokers rose from five to 15.
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Online Raisin Trading Brings Greater Transparency
The development has helped address issues such as wastage of produce caused by alleged discrepancies in weight, price differences and bargaining under the pretext of promotional offers.
Earlier, most transactions were carried out through open auctions conducted by private parties, making it difficult to maintain accurate records. This also resulted in a loss of government revenue that could have been collected through cess and GST.
With more transactions now taking place through the online market, officials expect greater transparency and improved revenue collection for the government.
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Farmers Urged To Make Use Of Online Raisin Market
He said that if the opportunity available to all grape farmers, without compromising their profits, is promoted widely and more farmers are encouraged to participate in the online market, the department, the government and farmers will benefit significantly.
He added that traders from any state in the country can participate in online and temporary offline market transactions and urged everyone to make use of the opportunity.
