Rythu Bazaars set for a makeover

​Hyderabad: Dirty surroundings, unhygienic conditions, lack of basic facilities like drinking water which are a common site at most of the Rythu Bazaars will be a thing of past in about one and half months time as they are in for a major makeover.

The remodelled rythu bazaars will be adopting latest technology to help the farmers, women, self help groups and consumers. The agriculture marketing department has decided to introduce the system of bar coded ID cards and advanced electronic weighing machines with printer facility for the farmers. The officials also decided to set up water ATM machines at all the Rythu Bazaars.

The Deputy Director of Marketing Padmaharsha said that the whole idea of modernising the market and upgrading new facilities in Rythu Bazaar is to cut down the middle men in market, so that the farmer can earn their daily income and will in turn benefit the consumers as they will not have to shell out extra money.

The department will be providing bar coded ID Cards to farmers as they can sell their produce directly to the consumers and the electronic weighing machine with bill printing facility will be given to them. We are also in a plan to modernize all Rythu bazaar’s by providing LED Lights, sheds, compound walls and many more”.

The department has taken up a massive exercise to set up water ATM machines at Rythu Bazaars. The first machine will be put up at Kukatpally market. The water ATM machine will be available for both consumers and farmers, where they will have to insert Rs 1 coin to get two litres of water”, Deputy Director Marketing said.

Explaining about the new facilities in the market, Alwal Rythu Bazaar officer Sai Kumar said that initially it may be little difficult for the farmers to adopt to new technology but once they get accustomed, it would benefit both the farmers and the consumers, he added.

The department, he said, would allow the vegetables grown by the farmers to be sold in the market. For example, if a farmer grows potatoes and onions in his farm, he will have to sell only those vegetables. Entry for farmers into the Rythu bazaars will be permitted only with bar coded identity cards.

A vegetable seller at Rythu Bazaar Kankhaiya expressed hope that the proposed new technology would help them get rid of the menace of middlemen and help them in earning their livelihood in a proper manner. This will also benefit the farmers as they can sell their produce at reasonable prices as fixed by the marketing department.