The Haryana Government will launch an e-auction portal to enable farmers to sell agroforestry trees grown on their fields, such as eucalyptus and poplar, through the Haryana Forest Development Corporation (HFDC). This initiative is expected to help farmers secure better prices by eliminating intermediaries.
The decision was taken in the 146th meeting of the Board of Directors of HFDC. The meeting was chaired by Sudhir Rajpal, Additional Chief Secretary, Forest Department and Chairman of HFDC.
During the meeting, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Managing Director, K. C. Meena, presented the proposal. As per the plan, farmers willing to use the HFDC e-auction portal will submit an application to the concerned General Manager.
Subsequently, field offices of the Corporation will assess and mark the standing trees and determine a reserve price based on their volume. Farmers will also have the option to set their own reserve price.
The tree volume details will then be uploaded on the e-auction portal. After the auction, the bid amount will be communicated to the farmer, and if the farmer agrees to the price, HFDC will charge only a 5 percent service fee. The remaining amount will be transferred directly to the farmer’s bank account through online mode.
The scheme will also be open to institutions, for which a service fee of 10 percent will be applicable. Sh. Sudhir Rajpal stated that the objective of the government is to ensure that farmers receive the maximum value for their produce.
Through this e-auction system, farmers and institutions are expected to benefit from better price discovery, elimination of middlemen, increased transparency, and access to a wider pool of buyers. He added that HFDC has framed comprehensive rules to safeguard the financial interests of farmers and institutions.
He further said that this system is likely to increase farmers’ income by up to 25 percent.