It's Time We See Farmers as a Market: Rethinking the Agri Fair

What comes to your mind when you think of an agri fair or a farm fair? Farmers’ produce, right? A wide variety of grains, vegetables, fruits, oils, maybe even handmade items and processed foods. In other words, outputs from the field — harvested, packaged, sometimes processed — are what define our conventional imagination of a “farm fair" or a "krishi mela".

But let’s flip this perspective.

What if a farm fair was not about what farmers produce, but about what farmers consume?


Farmers as Buyers, Not Just Sellers

Think of a different kind of farm fair — where the booths and stalls aren’t stocked with cabbages and lentils, but with:-

-Tractors and tractor accessories

-Fertilizers — chemical and organic

-Irrigation equipment and water pumps

-Solar panels and wind turbines for decentralized power generation 

-Agri-drones and soil monitoring sensors

-AI-based farm planning tools and software

-Crop insurance and digital credit products


Sounds futuristic? It shouldn’t. Agriculture is a highly input-intensive activity. And farmers — especially in India — are rapidly emerging as one of the most underserved but most potential-rich consumer classes in the country.


Breaking the Myth: "Farmers Aren’t a Market"

The default assumption in our economic imagination is that everyone who eats is a market — because they consume food. But farmers, despite being the engine of that food economy, are not treated as a market to be sold to. They’re treated as beneficiaries. At best, vendors. Rarely, buyers.

This needs to change.

In India alone, the farming community receives massive subsidies and fiscal support — on fertilizer, irrigation, electricity, seeds, crop insurance, MSPs, and direct income support like PM-KISAN. That’s real purchasing power, and it’s growing more structured each year.


A New Kind of Fair — Input-Centric, Innovation-Focused

Here’s what a re-imagined agri fair could enable:-

1. Farmer-Tech Interface: Let agri-tech startups pitch their drones, AI tools, apps, and sensors directly to farmer cooperatives.

2. Credit + Insurance Stalls: Let NBFCs, banks, and insurance players offer tailor-made products for farmers — with government scheme integration.

3. Live Demonstrations: See soil moisture sensors in action. Watch drones spray bio-fertilizer. Try out AI-led crop cycle planners.

4. Decentralized Energy Solutions: Solar irrigation pumps, wind-harvest systems, and off-grid electrification kits could change the face of rainfed or remote agriculture.

5. Language-Localisation + Repair Clinics: Each stall would offer vernacular support and include local-level service/repair tie-ups.


Now is the Opportune Time 

Agri Startups are building products but struggling to reach fragmented farmer markets.

Farmers, especially those organised into FPOs, are more literate, digitally exposed, and willing to experiment.

Government Schemes can be layered over this format to offer on-the-spot subsidies or discounts, increasing uptake.

Universities + KVKs can validate or demonstrate the tech credibly.

Employment in Rural India can rise through new service and support roles created around these products.

In other words, this fair can become the meeting ground of agriculture, technology, finance, and policy.


Parallels from Other Sectors

Auto Expo targets car buyers.

Defence Expo targets military procurement officials.

Electronics Fairs target consumer and B2B tech buyers.

But no such major event exists at scale for Indian farmers — a market of 60+ crore people. 


The Karnataka Example 

Karnataka is a notable exception in this regard. The Karnataka government regularly organises local Krishi Melas, which showcase latest advancements in farming technologies and practices to farmers and the general public. These Melas provide a platform to local farmers to interact with experts, learn about new technologies, and explore various aspects of agriculture and allied activities.

This concept and practice needs to be scaled -- both horizontally and vertically. 



Challenges Exist, but are Solvable

Language and Literacy: Can be solved via vernacular demos and pictorial explanations.

Trust Gap in Tech: Can be solved through co-branding with Krishi Vigyan Kendras and agri universities.

Low Per Capita Spend: Can be solved by starting with phased product ladders — from basic to advanced.

Digital Divide: Integrate in-fair support kiosks for app installations, e-KYC, and scheme awareness.


Conclusion: It's Time to Re-Imagine the Krishi Mela

Seeing farmers as a market opens up a trillion-rupee opportunity — not just for companies, but for India’s rural economy, startup ecosystem, and employment generation potential.

Let’s move beyond seeing farmers only as producers. Let’s recognize them as consumers of innovation, partners in sustainability, and investors in their own futures.

And, therefore, let’s start by re-imagining the krishi mela. 

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