Hi , Im new to the forum and this is my first post so a wee bit about myself first – Im an apple grower from Himachal and have been doing that for the last 15 yrs !! Unfortunately one of my biggest challenges since having taken over the Orchard was to find a way past the middlemen who control the market as per their whims and fancy so started selling directly to friends in Delhi and over the years built up a sizeable customer base . A few months ago I realised that as this problem was faced by many a farmer , we farmers barely get 20 % of what the end consumer pays I started working on a platform where we could become the front for the farmer to reach the consumer directly !! Also our platform would allow the farmer to price his produce according to his understanding of logistics etc and we have had a fair share of demand from the consumers who are happy to know the farmer and order directly . Its the most transparent platform for a farmer but as its still in early stages we have a restricted access so we choosing our partner farmers selectively who understand the nuances of selling directly to the consumer .
For this we looking for fruit farmers who would like to join the family from across the country … as of now we only can offer their produce to consumers in Delhi but are looking to set up the same platform for Bangalore and Mumbai soon !! So a cherry farmer in himachal can get orders from consumers in Delhi - Bangalore and even Mumbai … at his price and without having to leave his farm .
Message me if anyone is interested in knowing more … We farmers need to join hands in order to make this platform a super success !!
Cheers
Every farmer indeed!
Can you throw some light on how this will work?
Hi Chandra , We at farmeruncle ( FU for short ) are going to become the face of the farmer who understands what we intend to do . Its a lengthy explanation but in short we creating the platform where farmers can reach the end consumer directly through us . We act as their representative in the cities … the consumer has direct access to the farmers for any question/doubt/query regarding the fruit coz no one is better equipped to answer questions regarding the fruit than the farmer who has been growing it . This allows the farmer to offer his produce at a lower/same cost as whats available in the market but the consumer now knows exactly who is growing it - where its grown - when it was harvested etc etc ! theres transparency for both parties and till now there is no such system .
We have been running trial runs through our Facebook page for now in the Delhi NCR region and with a good response from customers … intact a very high repeat order pattern has emerged . We have apple - pear - kinnow - tangerine and grapefruit - orange growers already who have benefitted from our direct platform and will vouch for us . Yes , we don’t have super high volumes as of now as low volumes - new logistic issues mean we doing it a trial level till now but looking to go full speed in a month from now .
I can go on and on … but won’t bore you any farther 
!!
Cheers
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Hello farmeruncle and Chandra,
A similar online interface between the farmers and the consumers under the name Unified Market Platform (UMP for short ) has already been rolled out by the Govt: of Karnataka last year. These are based on the already existing Agricultural Produce Marketing Yards in the State. Any one who has sold his produce through this system may please post their experiences. Our own Udupi district’s Yard is yet to be integrated into this grid.
Best wishes,
Ouseph Karuveli.
FarmerUncel - your idea is good, you intent is good and looks like you have gained some experience with low volumes. Good Luck for the same.
My guess is that there are multiple platforms similar to this but for wider market like “Amazon”, eBay, Snapdeal, and many more, they all provide B2C platform where the seller can directly sell and customer can order whichever is they choose to. To some extent the fruit/vegetable market BigBasket caters to similar needs.
I agree that the farmer need something better than the middleman to improve the quality of living and the happiness with which he does the same.
I would be interested to know the “USP” of your product on how it can generate volumes of “buyers” without which the “volume” of sellers would not do much of good.
Would be interested to know more in sight as the problem of middlemen and lack of buyers is there for many farmers including some in this forum and trust me you would not bore me.
Hi Farmeruncle,
I saw your website and Fb page. Very interesting concept. I have been searching for someone like this to order fruits for myself. Finally got one.
I would like to invest in a farm. If you come across any farmer who needs a financial partner to expand or start farming, would appreciate if you can do the introduction.
Regards, Nitin