| Wangjing Wangjen |
Farmers in Pongchau CD Block of Longding district, Arunachal Pradesh, continue to face severe post-harvest challenges due to the absence of proper aggregation and storage facilities, forcing them into distress sales and causing significant crop losses each year.
The block, home to around 2,052 rural households, cultivates ginger across nearly 281 hectares of farmland and produces an estimated 278 metric tonnes annually. The crop is largely grown through traditional farming practices by small and marginal farmers who depend heavily on ginger cultivation for their livelihood.
Despite substantial production, farmers have long struggled with the lack of organised marketing systems. For decades, middlemen from neighbouring states have dominated the trade, purchasing ginger directly from farmers during the harvest season. With no storage facilities available, growers are compelled to sell their produce immediately after harvest at low prices, missing the opportunity to earn better returns.
SHG Initiative Brings Hope
In an effort to address this issue, the Lamgan Model Cluster Level Federation recently mobilised Self Help Group (SHG) farmers to collectively aggregate ginger for the first time in the block.
Launched in February 2026, the initiative marked a significant step towards strengthening local marketing channels and improving farmers’ bargaining power. Through collective efforts, SHG members successfully aggregated nearly 20 metric tonnes of ginger, demonstrating the potential of community-driven marketing systems.
Losses Due to Lack of Storage
However, the initiative soon faced a major setback due to the absence of a proper aggregation centre or warehouse. The harvested ginger had to be stored temporarily in open and unsuitable conditions, exposing it to moisture and poor ventilation.
Within a short period, fungal infestation spread through the stored produce, resulting in the loss of around 2.5 metric tonnes of ginger. Out of the total aggregated quantity of 20 metric tonnes, farmers were able to sell only 16.5 metric tonnes.
For small farmers who depend on seasonal harvests for income, such losses translate directly into lost earnings and wasted months of hard labour.
Urgent Need for Infrastructure
Experts emphasize that a proper agricultural aggregation centre or warehouse equipped with damp-proof flooring, pest-resistant walls, adequate ventilation, temperature control, pallet systems and fire safety measures is essential to prevent spoilage and ensure safe storage of agricultural produce.
In the absence of such infrastructure, farmers have little choice but to sell their produce immediately after harvest when market prices are typically low. With proper storage facilities, farmers could hold their produce and sell it during the off-season when prices are significantly higher.
Farmers Forced Into Distress Sales
Local farmers and SHG members say that hundreds of tonnes of ginger produced in the district are sold at distress prices every year due to the lack of proper storage and aggregation infrastructure.
Without such facilities, even well-intentioned initiatives like the recent SHG-led aggregation effort struggle to sustain themselves.
Call for Govt Intervention
Community leaders and farmer groups are now urging the government to establish an agri-aggregation centre or warehouse in the district at the earliest. They argue that such infrastructure is crucial for protecting farmers’ produce, reducing post-harvest losses and enabling them to secure fair market prices.
If established, the facility would allow farmers to safely store their produce, manage the timing of sales and strengthen collective marketing systems, ultimately improving incomes and ensuring more sustainable livelihoods for rural farming families in Pongchau.Without immediate intervention, farmers fear that the cycle of crop losses, middlemen exploitation and distress sales will continue year after year.
(The writer is Block Mission Manager, Arunachal State Rural Livelihoods Mission, Pongchau Block.)