By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: Bihar Cooperative Minister Dr Prem Kumar announced that the Cooperative Department will set up 15 booths across the state to sell organic vegetables at affordable prices, similar to Sudha milk booths. One of these booths will be established at Soochna Bhawan in Patna. Additionally, the Nitish Kumar-led government plans to support farmers engaged in organic vegetable farming by providing them with better market access for their produce. This initiative is in response to the declining vegetable production in Bihar and the rising retail prices.
To address these challenges, the Cooperative Department has developed a new plan to open booths selling organic vegetables. In the first phase, 15 booths will be launched in key cities, including Patna, as a trial. Depending on the success and demand, more booths will be introduced. The vegetables will be supplied to these booths through cooperative socities.
Minister Prem Kumar explained that the government intends to open these vegetable booths in the Secretariat and 15 other locations. He added that decisions regarding this plan will be finalised soon. The move aligns with the Bihar government’s push for organic farming, which the department is actively promoting.
Given the high cost of organic vegetable production, these products are often priced higher than conventionally grown vegetables available in the open market. As a result, farmers struggle to find buyers willing to pay fair prices locally. The vegetable booths aim to bridge this gap by offering a market where farmers can sell their organic produce at reasonable rates.
Currently, primary vegetable cooperative societies have been established in 300 blocks across 20 districts, with around 41,000 members. The government plans to extend these societies to all districts. As part of this expansion, the Cooperative Department is working on developing a market for organic vegetables, with the booths being a crucial step in that direction.
In addition to these physical booths, vegetables are also being sold online through the vegetable mart, which has become popular among consumers, hotels, and institutions like the ISKCON temple. On average, vegetables worth ₹75,000 to ₹1 lakh are sold daily through this platform. Since 2019, Vegfed has achieved a turnover of over ₹130 crore by selling 74,251 tonnes of vegetables.
The introduction of these organic vegetable booths is expected to provide farmers with fair prices while offering consumers fresh and affordable produce.
