Amid efforts by many to connect farmers directly with customers, a techie from an agriculture family in Dakshina Kannada has provided one such online platform that could benefit both.
After working for a software giant for some years in Bengaluru, 36-year-old Bondala Yatheesh Shetty returned home; not to take up agriculture, but to connect agriculturists with the market, without the intervention of middlemen.
And, in about a couple of years, Mr. Shetty was able to bring together about 60 farmers, including a few farm produce associations, under the LocalFarmers network, www.localfarmers.in, with his team comprising Srihariprasad, Ranjith, Rakshitha, Ganesh Shenoy and Eshwar. Recently, another friend Rajath Shetty developed an Android-based mobile App too for LocalFarmers.
A host of products ranging from locally grown vegetables and fruits to cereals and pulses and from dairy products to coconut oil are all available on the LocalFarmers platform. Home-made delicacies, including sweets, savouries, ghee and butter too are available on this network. Mr. Shetty said that LocalFarmers provides both organic as well as chemical-free produce to customers after their detailed verification.
Mr. Shetty said that LocalFarmers markets produce and products through multiple channels. On the one hand it accepts online booking and delivers the produce and products at the customers doorsteps and on the other, it operates a mobile shop, FarmKart, that would be stationed at designated locations during specific days and time of the week facilitating customers to buy produce and products directly.
Using WhatsApp, LocalFarmers sends out regular bulletins to regular customers about the availability of produce and products and prices helping them to place orders, Mr. Shetty said. Their products are available at the office located at Brahmana Parishat building, next to Somayaji Hospital, at B.C. Road.
Almost all urban areas of Dakshina Kannada, excluding Belthangady and Moodbidri and parts of Bengaluru (Kanakapura Road surroundings), were being catered to at present, he added.
LocalFarmers offers competitive pricing and passes off the major benefit to farmers or farm produce associations. While prices of vegetables would almost be the same as in the market, the prices of value added products and home-made products would be a bit higher considering the method of production and quality. Yet, their prices are competitive compared to similar products in the market, Mr. Shetty said.