Shimla: E-commerce giant Amazon will soon be buying fruits and vegetables directly from the farmers and orchardists of Shimla district at their doorsteps.
With the arrival of Amazon, farmers and orchardists are likely to benefit. The company will be offering attractive prices to farmer’s produce and farmers will also be able to avoid transportation expenses.
After receiving a green light from Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Shimla, Amazon has also started the preparation of setting up its first procurement centre at Balag village in Theog tehsil, district Shimla.
Chairman, APMC, Shimla Naresh Sharma has said that Non-Objection Certificate (NOC) has been granted to Amazon and the company will start work as soon as it gets a license from the Agriculture Department.
According to the reports, about six procurement centres will be opened in Shimla district in the first phase and the company will start purchasing fruits and vegetables directly from the farmers of the district in the second phase.
The company will purchase vegetables and fruits through local agents. These fruits and vegetables will then be transported to a warehouse in Haryana. And thereafter, fresh fruits and vegetables will be supplied to different cities of the country. The customers will be getting door-to-door delivery of fresh fruits and vegetables through Amazon Fresh.
“Amazon’s entry in this business will benefit the farmers as well as the orchardists as the company will increase the competition and farmers will get better rates for their produce” he added.
Multi-National Companies like Reliance Fresh and Big Basket are already buying fruits and vegetables in the state. These companies have set up procurement centres at Kandaghat and Salogda in Solan district and Narkanda, Kotgarh, Thanadhar in Shimla district.
