LUCKNOW, Sept. 27 -- A two-day national seminar on "Issues and challenges of supply chain of agriculture commodities with reference to unregulated marketing channels" began at the Giri Institute of Development Studies (GIDS), an Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) institute, on Friday. Vinod Kumar, NABARD, Mumbai, was the chief guest at the seminar. Prof AK Pandey and Prof Sukhpal Singh of IIM-Ahmedabad were also present. In his inaugural address, Kumar said the agriculture commodities and marketing sector faces multiple challenges, with intermediaries taking away the bulk of farmers' profits. "The declining quality of yield, which has made Indian produce less competitive in global markets, is a matter of concern. Challenges also come from artificially produced goods in the market. NABARD has been playing an important role in addressing some of these issues," Kumar said. He also suggested enhancing the capacity and scope of FPOs to help increase farmers' income by 5-7%. Singh highlighted the problems faced by producers of perishable goods. "There is no MSP and no designated marketplace for perishables, despite their potential as a good source of employment. The current market structure does not reward quality produce. There is a need to rejuvenate the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) and abolish the fees farmers have to pay for selling their products," he said. htc...