Coronavirus: With New Initiative, Ninjacart Helps Farmers Sell Directly To ConsumersIt would be in partnership with local grocery stores and made available via delivery platforms including Zomato, Swiggy and Dunzo in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Pune.

新鲜农产品供应链启动Ninjacart has come up with a new initiative to help farmers struggling with their harvest during the Coronavirus outbreak-enforced lockdown. Through the initiative, named 'Harvest The Farms', farmers would be able to sell directly to consumers, who would in-turn be able to buy fresh fruits and vegetables at lower rates.

It would be in partnership with local grocery stores and made available in delivery platforms including Zomato, Swiggy and Dunzo in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Pune.

Customers can head to the relevant sections on each of these delivery platforms, and search for their nearest Ninjacart-powered stores.

"This initiative would have not been possible without the support of local grocery stores and quick turnaround by teams at Zomato, Swiggy and Dunzo to make it accessible and beneficial for large consumers," said Ninjacart co-founder and chief executive officer Thirukumaran Nagarajan, in a statement.

Kabeer Biswas, CEO and co-founder at Dunzo said they had seen a surge in demand for essentials like fruits and vegetables across the country and it was important to connect the end user directly to the suppliers and farmers.

"The strained supply chain needs to be rebuilt and the farming community rests at the heart of that effort," added Biswas.

Earlier, Ninjacart had provisioned essential fruits and vegetables to orphanages, old-age homes and slum areas, at subsidized rates, in the wake of the lockdown.

Other Such Initiatives

Agritech start-up WayCool said last week that it was using its sourcing and supply chain network in more than 50 locations in Southern India including the cities of Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Bengaluru through partnerships and collaborations to boost delivery of essentials such as staples, fruits and vegetables.

It partnered with Zomato, Swiggy, and Dunzo in Chennai, Coimbatore and Bengaluru, FreshCura and HESA in Hyderabad, and with Meesho in Chennai for last mile deliveries.

WayCool claimed it was moving more than 250 tonnes of produce per day across major cities in all the South Indian states.

Apart from fresh produce, to help deal with a clogged supply chain owing to the lockdown, several consumer goods companies such as Britannia, Tata Consumer Products, and ITC have also formed partnerships with ecommerce and hyperlocal delivery firms. Earlier on Thursday, Near.Store, which was ertswhile a plug and play platform that enabled small retail stores to go online, announced tie-ups with the likes of Mondelez India and Marico for direct delivery of essentials.