GREENWICH — Chris Parker has an idea he thinks might help farmers sell their products directly to consumers.

The Kings County councillor has been buoyed by the success of a petition on the municipal website that has been signed by almost 5,000 people in just a few weeks.

Why not make a direct-selling website available to farmers, said Mr. Parker, who presented the idea to a recent committee-of-the-whole meeting of council.

"People spend a lot of time on the Internet shopping now," Mr. Parker said in an interview. By selling directly to consumers, farmers could cut their costs and sell at lower prices, he said

"Imagine getting a beef tenderloin at two bucks a pound. Most people don’t know where to go, who to phone to buy local products."

Mr. Parker said a website for farm produce could be similar to EBay, where people buy and sell items.

He said council could start the site and then turn it over to some other local organization or farm group...

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