Binay Singh
Varanasi: If you need a ‘family doctor’ for regular health check-up, then why don’t you go for a ‘family farmer’?
The way a family doctor takes care of the health of a family, a family farmer can also help one’s family to lead a healthy life by supplying quality grocery and food items. The family farmers may not only bring good health of people but also cut short their expenses on medicines and pathological tests.
The concept of Family Farmer is gaining momentum after some farmers have started a movement in some districts of eastern UP including the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency Varanasi.
In this movement, the farmers try to convince the people of the benefits of the direct supply of pure and fresh foodstuff from the farming fields to their doorsteps. While the consumer will get pure food items at a reasonable price, the farmers will also be benefited with the fair price of their produce.
This movement –‘Kisan aapke Dwar’ (farmer at your doorstep) has been initiated by a farmers’ organization – “GRIHASTHA”. So far they have reached 1200 houses and are providing grocery at their doorstep. By adding a chain to Family Farmer movement these farmers are going to start 10 shops on wheels in Varanasi through which they can sell their products in almost 30 colonies every day. With groceries, they will also provide fresh fruits and vegetables.
Dr Dipti, who is the brain behind the concept of Family Farmer, says that Grihastha has been working with 200 farmers from the past two years. More than 90 food products including pulses, oil, rice, flour, pickles, honey are supplied to the consumers at their doorsteps. “Both consumer and farmer will be benefited with this movement,” she adds.
According to her, Mahamana Agri-Bussiness Incubator (IIT BHU) has supported Family Farmer movement. To start up this plan the union ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare has also helped under RKVY-Raftaar scheme.
