Farmers in district give the cold shoulder to horticulture dept’s e-Thottam app

Coimbatore: A month after its launch, the horticulture department’s e-Thottam app, which aims to connect farmers directly with consumers, has received a lukewarm response in the district. Less than 50 farmers have signed up since August, department sources said.
The Android app is a boon to the farmers, who are interested in selling produce directly to buyers, said Vasanthi, assistant director of horticulture at Kovilpalayam. “Those interested can approach the block-level horticulture office and register themselves by submitting details of their produce and address. The produce can even be one vegetable variety. The department will verify the information and upload it in the app. Consumers can download the app, register themselves and search for the vegetables they need from farmers in their vicinity. They can click on the vegetables they want, contact the farmers directly and go buy it from the farms. This way, middlemen are eliminated.”
However, certain modalities like price monitoring and quality checking are yet to be ironed out.
The department is focusing on getting more farmers to enroll, especially organic farmers, who are part of its participatory guarantee programme, said a horticulture officer from Karamadai. “Once they get on board, we expect the number of registered farmers to touch 300 within the next six months.”
Jamunadevi, assistant horticulture director at Kinathukidavu, said that many farmers don’t have produce to sell now as this is the sowing season.
“They sow now and harvest during the Pongal. We expect more farmers to enroll during the harvest season,” she said.