Amazon Opens New Centre in Maharashtra to Procure Fresh Produce Directly from Farmers

Amazon Retail India announced the opening of a new "farmer collection centre" in Maharashtra on Monday, where customers can buy fresh fruits and vegetables directly from farmers. The new Kunjirwadi centre will be the fifth in the western state, following those in Manchar, Nasik, Wai, and Ratnagiri.

According to the official release, Amazon's farmer collection centres have temperature-controlled supply chain infrastructure where fruits and vegetables are sorted, graded, geotagged, and packaged in various sizes in sustainable packaging before being trans-shipped to Amazon Fresh fulfillment centres.

Amazon Retail India stated that it has a network of over 4,500 farmers and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and is able to sell 120 directly farm-sourced fresh fruits and vegetables through the five farmer centres.

"Our collection centres are also the node for extending services beyond procurement, such as various training programmes, providing agri inputs support to enhance farmers' productivity, knowledge sharing, and enabling technology adoption," as per Rajesh Prasad, category leader, Amazon Retail India, as quoted in the release.

About Amazon:

Amazon is an online retailer, e-book reader manufacturer, and Web services provider that has become synonymous with electronic commerce. In 2021, the United States was Amazon's largest market, with net sales of 314 billion dollars.

Germany came in second, with 37.3 billion dollars, ahead of the United Kingdom, which had 31.9 billion. The company's headquarters are located in Seattle, Washington. The major reason for Amazon's success is its complete dedication to the customer experience.