Linking farmers to markets: Schemes/programmes, progress and impact

Strengthening the agricultural marketing system in India has been at the forefront of policy making to provide farmers easy access to markets. An efficient agricultural marketing system ensures the optimal allocation of scarce resources. The Government of India initiated reform measures, schemes and programmes to strengthen agricultural marketing system and link farmers to the markets. The paper attempts to review the progress of efforts towards linking farmers to markets and the socio-economic impact. The focus is on the progress on development of agricultural marketing infrastructure, alternative marketing options and recent developments through startups and farmer collectives initiated to strengthen value chain linkages.