Deregulation in India met with mixed response from farmers

Source: Elizabeth Schroeder, Farmer’s Weekly, 20 November 2020, photo credit: Tripadvisor

Following the recent controversial deregulation of the agriculture industry in India, agri-tech entrepreneurs are flooding the market with apps to connect farmers to larger-scale buyers through the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Historically, there have been some challenges with regard to the large volumes of grain, fruit and vegetables being lost along the supply chain in India, due to manual handling, poor inventory management, storage problems, and the slow movement of goods in that country.

The rate of wastage from dysfunctional supply chains had been estimated to be four to five times that of most large economies, some industry experts have suggested to Reuters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government’s recent introduction of changes to the legislation had been called a watershed that would “remove middlemen and let farmers sell their produce directly to buyers,” according to a statement by the government.
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The South African Pork Producers’ Organisation (SAPPO) coordinates industry interventions and collaboratively manages risks in the value chain to enable the sustainability and profitability of pork producers in South Africa.