Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal today called for the integration of One District One Product (ODOP) initiative with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). The Minister said that ONDC would help in further expanding the frontiers of ODOP by bringing buyers and sellers together on a democratic platform. He was delivering his address after unveiling the unabridged ODOP Gift Catalog containing 300 plus products and ODOP Storefront on GeM in New Delhi today.

 

Terming ODOP as an earnest effort to highlight the tremendous potential that the rich culture and tradition that India has to offer, Shri Goyal said that India's districts and villages are home to crores of talented weavers, artisans and craftsmen.

 

The Minister observed that for many decades, the fruits of development were asymmetric and confined to some regions. He underscored that there has been a fundamental shift in thinking of the government in the last 8 years and said that ODOP is aligned with this vision of taking prosperity to each and every part of the country.

 

Shri Goyal stressed that India can't develop unless remotest corners of the nation are also equal stake holders in development and benefits equally from fruits of progress.  He expressed confidence that ODOP would help bring prosperity to those at the bottom of the pyramid.

 

Quoting the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, Shri Goyal said that 'each district of our country has a potential equal to that of one country.

 

We need to understand this power and channelize this potential'.

 

Referring to the success that ODOP has seen in several states like Uttar Pradesh, the Minister said that convergence or 'samanvay' is a critical factor that would propel the success of ODOP.  Shri Goyal asked that flagship programs of the government such as Startup India, Make in India, district as export hubs etc. be converged with the vision of ODOP. He asked all the Ministries of GoI to help further expand the mandate of ODOP through complementary initiatives.

India is looking to get duty-free access for different products - gold jewellery, toys, handicrafts and handlooms- identified under One District One Product (ODOP) initiative, to promote their exports, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said Monday.

 

'We are doing Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) where we are looking at duty-free access for all these products internationally so we can create international acceptance of these products,' Goyal said at the launch of One District One Product gift catalogue and storefront on public procurement portal Government eMarketplace in Delhi.

 

India is negotiating trade pacts with the UK, Canada and European Union.

 

The minister said that besides ODOP, there is also the District as Export initiative which is a bottom up approach, not top-down.

 

Under the district as export hub initiative, the government aims to convert each district of the country into an export hub by identifying products with export potential, addressing bottlenecks for exporting these products, supporting local exporters/manufacturers to scale up manufacturing, and finding potential buyers outside India.

 

Goyal suggested developing one-stop gifting destinations with high quality suppliers, involving students of institutions like National Institute of Design and extensive training sessions for artisans for the success of the ODOP.

 

'Let us look at creating art and crafts villages at the G20 destinations across India. This can become the seed which will help artisans for years and help tourism and give visibility to ODOP,' he said, adding that 55 cities in the country will host over 200 meetings during India's G20 presidency where tourist villages can be created.

 

Additional Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Sumita Dawra said onboarding of ODOP products at GeM platform would help to promote those goods.

 

'There are a lot of opportunties for these goods. Ecommerce platforms too are selling these goods,' she said.

 

Additional Chief Secretary - Information, MSME and Export Promotion - Navneet Sehgal said that states are taking a series of measures to promote goods under the ODOP.

 

'ODOP is helping in promoting inclusive growth of the state. We are strengthening clusters. We are trying to develop a complete ecosystem for these products,' Sehgal said.

 

Goyal meets stakeholders from lab-grown diamond industry

 

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday held a meeting with stakeholders of the lab-grown diamond industry and discussed ways to boost the sector. 'The sector holds immense potential to further bolster our diamond industry, enabling India to consolidate its stature as the diamond manufacturing hub of the world,' Goyal said in a tweet.

 

Currently, India contributes around 15% to the global production of lab-grown diamonds.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal is likely to chair a meeting of the Board of Trade next month to discuss ways to boost the country's exports, an official said. The Board is an advisory body on the foreign trade policy.

 

It is headed by the minister and includes participants from states, Union Territories, and senior officials from public and private sectors, and provides a platform to discuss ways on boosting manufacturing and exports.

 

'The board may meet sometime in mid-September,' the official said.

 

Last month, the government nominated 29 non-official members from different sectors, including large and small enterprises, to the Board.

 

The new members include Laghu Udyog Bharati executive member Om Prakash Mittal, India Cellular and Electronics Association chairman Pankaj Mahindroo and Amul MD RS Sodhi.

 

Discussions in the meeting are expected to focus on the new Foreign Trade Policy (FTP 2022-27), ways to take forward domestic manufacturing and exports.

 

The platform provides an opportunity to have regular discussion and consultation with trade and industry and advise the government on policy measures related to FTP in order to achieve the objective of boosting India's trade.

 

It also provides a platform to state governments and UTs to articulate their perspective on trade policy, and also to Government of India for apprising them about international developments affecting India's trade potential and opportunities and to prepare them to deal with the evolving situation.

 

Federation of Indian Export Organisations vice-president Khalid Khan said the Board should discuss a circular of the RBI issued last month on measures for international trade settlement in rupees.

 

In that, the Reserve Bank asked banks to put in place additional arrangements for export and import transactions in the Indian rupee in view of the increasing interest of the global trading community in the domestic currency.

 

'Some kind of standard operating procedure should be released for banks on this,' Khan said.

 

India's exports rose 2.14 per cent to USD 36.27 billion in July while the trade deficit almost tripled to USD 30 billion during the month due to over 70 per cent rise in crude oil imports.

 

However, exports during April-July 2022-23 rose by 20.13 per cent to USD 157.44 billion. Imports during the four months increased by 48.12 per cent to USD 256.43 billion. The trade deficit stood at USD 98.99 billion as against USD 42 billion during April-July 2021-22.

Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare visited the Indo-Dutch, Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Vegetables at Baramati, District Pune, Maharashtra and interacted with the farmers.

 

The main objective of setting of the CoE is to establish a demonstration hub for vegetable production and transfer of technologies to the extension workers and farmers in the region through their training and capacity building. Introduction of advanced technologies that are required to increase vegetable production and reduce losses in the supply chain (Field/ PHT/ Storage/ Transportation) are being shown to the farmers and extension workers. These techniques include protected cultivation, hydroponics, improved seeds and quality planting material, fertigation, Integrated Nutrient Management (INM), Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), etc.

 

The other objectives of the project includes supply of quality planting material of vegetables, demonstration of hi-tech protected cultivation technologies in vegetables crops, efficient use of water & fertigation through atomization, standardizing good agricultural practices to ensure higher yield and enhanced income to the farmers. The CoE facilitated the training of various level of officers, NGOs, private entrepreneurs, etc. and paved a way to develop value chain, promote employment generation and market intelligence to maximise income of farmers.

 

The major technology intervention under the project includes production of pest & disease free planting materials in hi-forced ventilated poly house, to use Italian media filling cum seeding machine for production of planting material, to use automatic robot in vegetables seedlings production for irrigation & fertigation, demonstration of soil less cultivation, European soil less grow bags, vertical grow bags, exotic crops like bell pepper, cherry tomato, beef tomatoes, leafy exotics & hanging muskmelons, to introduce Dutch agriculture techniques like pollination, trellising, training & pruning, butterfly vent climate control system, sensors, weather system, climate control, fertigation stock solutions and drain water recycling.  Capacity building programme including India’s first ToT Programme (Training of Trainers) & Skill Development Training programmes for young entrepreneurs & FPOs, to introduce value chain Management Programme (Market Linkages) for Agriculture Produce commodity.

 

This Centre also provides skill development trainings to the needy people to encourage the self employment and creation of technology awareness which attracts many youngster towards agriculture.  

 

A total of 7 Centres of Excellence (CoEs) of Indo-Dutch collaboration have been approved so far in 4 States.  Out of which, 2 centres are completed in the State of Maharashtra and 5 CoEs are at various stages of completion. Beside these 7 CoEs there are 3 private CoEs also.  These 7 CoEs and 3 private CoEs are operational in the States of Maharashtra, Punjab, Jammu Kashmir, Kerala and Karnataka with specific focus on horticulture crops, fruits, vegetables, potatoes and flowers.

 

Dr. Likhi also visited the Dutch Green house at CoE, KVK Baramati, which aims to maximise the crop production from less resources e.g. water, pesticides, manpower etc, which not only adds value to the entrepreneurs but also increases the quality of the produce being residue free.  The main focus of this green-house is on demonstrating technologies under protected cultivation.

 

Dr. Likhi also reviewed the activities of CoE, Baramati during which the Director of the CoE made a detailed presentation.  All the 7 CoEs and 3 private CoEs and Agri Start-Ups working in the region made presentations on innovations and technologies being used by them to cut down the transaction costs and create better market linkages for farmers growing fruits and vegetables. During these interactions, Ministry officials, officials of the Indian Institute of Horticulture Research, Directors of all CoEs, 23 National Research Centres for Horticulture of ICAR State Horticulture Directors and other stakeholders were connected through Video Conference.

 

Dr. Likhi directed all the stakeholders to ensure that the technological demonstrations being practiced in the 7 CoEs should be widely disseminated in the villages surrounding the CoEs especially to extend its benefits to the small and marginal farmers for practicing profitable agriculture.

Gujarat State Edible Oil and Edible Oil Seeds Association (GSEOEOSA) president Samir Shah on Friday expressed fears that drought in China and low cultivation of groundnut in South Indian states can fuel the groundnut oil prices in the coming season.

 

GSEOEOSA president Samir Shah, speaking to local media here said, "It will be too early to predict the prices of groundnut oil in specific and edible oil rates in general for the coming session, because many factors are going to impact the domestic market, like drought in China, which will compel it to import more peanut from other countries, including India. In Southern state's, specifically in Andhra Pradesh, the groundnut sowing in monsoon season is just on 20 per cent of the total area and in Karnataka on 35 per cent area compared to previous year."

 

In Gujarat, groundnut sowing in the monsoon season is on 17 lakh hectares of land, it is two lakh hectare less than last year till August 22, as per the state agriculture department.

 

The US's Department of Agriculture's forecast for China's peanut production for 2020-21 was 17.7 million metric ton, which is likely to remain the same for the current year.

 

But, drought in the season will adversely impact the sowing and harvesting. Because of which its import is likely to go up is the apprehension of Shah, resulting in high demand of peanuts from the domestic market and less availability for crushing. That will push up edible oil prices and specially of groundnut oil prices in Gujarat and India in the coming season. On Thursday groundnut oil 17 liter prices touched Rs 3000, it is historically high.

The United Nations General Assembly has declared the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets, with 72 countries supporting India's proposal at the initiative of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. To commemorate this, the University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur and NABARD organized a two-day Millets Conclave in collaboration with the Agriculture and allied departments. During the conclave, issues related to nutritious cereal production and value addition were discussed with the farmers, FPOs, entrepreneurs, Agri-Startups, investors, exporters, agricultural scientists, NABARD and lead banks and agricultural development departments. On this occasion, the Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman announced several awards including three first prizes of one crore rupees each as an incentive to Agri Startups participating in the Millets Innovation Challenge, while the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar said that the time has come to give Millets a respectable place in the plate of food not only in India but across the world. 'We have to bring forth the importance of nutritious grains to the world,' he said.

 

Smt. Sitharaman said that the relevance of the deliberations held for two days in the Conclave regarding the Millets would come out soon. Promotion of millets will not only meet the food requirements, but will also give an opportunity to new startups to bring their products to the world. This will increase employment opportunities, especially women can be engaged in work from millet production to processing. Today, India is the major producer of millets in the world, with Karnataka being a major contributor. Millet production is beneficial to the farmers. It requires very less water, can be produced even on rocky land. Under the Millet Innovation Challenge, the Finance Minister gave one crore rupees each to Agri Startups for their distinctive contribution. Besides, awards of Rs.20 lakh each will be given to 15 Agri Startups and Rs.10 lakh each to 15 other Agri Startups. She also announced a fund of Rs 25 crore to the University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur from NABARD for millet research.

 

The Union Agriculture Minister Shri Tomar said that many schemes have been created under the leadership of the Prime Minister, whose benefits are being given to the farmers across the country. Whenever the Prime Minister announces a scheme, the Finance Minister works meticulously for its implementation. In the budget, she always strives for betterment in every sector of agriculture including agricultural education & research and increasing the farmers’ income. Prime Minister Modi wants that the farmers cost of cultivation should come down, they should have adequate technology support, they can take advantage of schemes like micro irrigation. Farmers are also getting huge benefit of PM's increase of MSP to one-and-a-half times the cost. With a view to increase the power of small farmers, 10,000 new FPOs are being created by spending Rs 6,865 crore. These will enable the small farmers to come together and become a big force, they will be able to move towards costly crops and integrated farming. Steps have also been taken in this direction so that farmers can easily get loans through FPOs and they can also process their produce.

 

Shri Tomar said that schemes like the PM Fasal Bima Yojana are being run, through which 1.18 lakh crore rupees are being given to farmers in lieu of crop losses. To promote farming in rural areas, Rs 1.5 lakh crore has been allocated for agriculture and allied sectors. More provisions have been made, the results of which are also coming to the fore. Projects worth Rs. 14,000 crores have been so far funded from the Agricultural Infrastructure Fund worth one lakh crore rupees which will prove to be very helpful for the farmers in villages. A positive effort is being made to increase the contribution of agriculture in the prosperity of farmers and the development of the country day by day. Shri Tomar lauded the Chief Minister Shri Bommai for successfully running other schemes including agriculture sector in Karnataka and said that Karnataka is moving ahead, being the first in the country to digitize the agriculture sector as a whole, in a transparent manner. To increase the nutritive-cereal area in the state, the Raha Siri Yojana has been launched for the expansion of millet area while the farmer will get Rs 10,000 from DBT. The state government is providing Rs. 10 lakh at 50% subsidy for setting up millet processing machinery. Shri Tomar urged to promote millets in the country and the world, saying that millets are ancient crops, which are also mentioned in the verses of the Indian text - Yajurveda, while the unique work of poet Kalidas 'Abhigyan Shakuntalam' also describes millets. Shri Tomar said that in the past there was a Green Revolution in view of the immediate conditions of the country and as a result of many decisions, the production of wheat and rice increased. Today there is sufficient availability of food grains in the country, now we have to move towards millets again.

 

Shri Tomar appreciated that Agri Startups have also done a great job in increasing the processing of millets. Now the time has come to give Millet a respectable place in the food platter of not only India but of the world. The whole world should understand the importance of millets and increase its production-productivity, as well as make many products from it, which can also be exported. India will take the lead in celebrating 2023 as the International Year of Millets, preparations are going on in full swing. Praising the Prime Minister's vision in this regard, he said that just as Shri Modi established Yoga Day in the world after becoming the PM, he knows how to promote Millets in the world.

 

Appreciating the contribution of the Raichur University in promoting Agriculture, Chief Minister Shri Bommai said that the benefits of research of agricultural scientists should reach the fields. He urged the government to publish the findings of the conclave in the form of a report at the earliest. He talked about the area under millets cultivation in the state and assured all possible steps to promote it further. The Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ms. Shobha Karandlaje and the Agriculture Minister of Karnataka, Shri B.C. Patil also addressed the conclave. The Minister in charge of Raichur district, Shri Shankar B. Patil Munenkoppa and Raichur city MLA Dr. S. Shivraj Patil, Mayor and DMD of NABARD Shri PVS. Suryakumar, Vice Chancellor Dr. K.N. Kattimani were present in the program. An exhibition related to nutritious cereals was organized on this occasion, which was inaugurated by the dignitaries.

The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has highlighted the need for more effective cooperation, coordination and communication amongst various research organizations and labs and also among their stakeholders. This, he said, is essential in order to capitalize on the power of ideas and to take the knowledge created by these institutions to the last person of society. The Minister said this while addressing the 46th Foundation Day celebrations of  National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur today, August 27, 2022.

 

The Bureau is an independent institute of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), entrusted with the mission of conducting and promoting research in the National Agriculture Research System in the areas of Soil Survey, Pedology, Geomorphology, Remote Sensing, Geographic Information System, Cartography, Land Evaluation and Land Use Planning.

 

The Union Minister observed that per acre agricultural output in India is very low in comparison to world standards. Our fruit quality too is not good enough as per international standards. The Minister explained that the challenge is how to make right and appropriate knowledge available to the last man in an effective manner. 'We should take knowledge on soil, seeds, land, water, choice of fertilizers and best agriculture practices, to farmers in villages using regional language and using mediums such as short films and through local agricultural colleges and universities. This will help increase agricultural productivity. Our economy is based on water, land, forest and animals. Hence, when the fruits of research are utilized by the last person, then knowledge and research become really meaningful.'

 

The Minister suggested that the National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning can work together with Agricultural Universities in each region to study soil quality of the region and advise farmers how to improve agricultural productivity of the region. 'We need to address the difficulties in transformation of technology and knowledge. We can increase the productivity of crops if we work using a coordinated approach. Example, we are not able to export 80% of our oranges due to their small size; such problems can be solved by working jointly.' The Minister said that once we understand water, land, soil and climate and the interactions  among them, we will be able to improve our performance.

 

Minister suggested that the private sector has to be roped in when the capacities of government labs are not enough. 'Since we were facing shortage of orange saplings, I suggested that private nurseries can be roped in to meet the supply gap, provided they follow rules suggested by ICAR'.

 

The Minister emphasized on the need for sharing of knowledge, so that its potential is fully realized. 'Sometimes, government systems fail to motivate organisations to share knowledge that they have. Knowledge should be shared and its impact audited. Not just financial audit, performance audit too is important.' Shri Gadkari gave the example of how lithium ion battery technology mastered by ISRO was not timely availed by Automotive Research Association of India, as an example of how we can do better if we improve our systems for coordination and collaboration.

 

The Minister highlighted the need for adopting new technologies and research practices. He narrated how the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is making concrete roads without using aggregate, using the technique of soil stabilization. This technique was recently used in Andaman, he informed. He gave another example of organic carbon. 'We know that organic carbon is important in increasing the productivity of maize, but we need to learn how to increase the extent of organic carbon in our land. For example, whether land quality standards will change by spraying chemicals using drones.'

 

Acknowledging the contribution of the National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Nagpur for the development of the nation, the Minister highlighted that we need to improve the productivity of the agriculture sector, on which the majority of the population depends. 'We need to take our agricultural growth rate to at least 22%. Then we will have Aatma Nirbhar villages, smart villages. This will thus benefit villages, farmers and the poor; new jobs, schools, hospitals, agro-based industries and irrigation facilities will come up in rural areas, transforming our villages.'

 

The NBSS&LUP is headquartered in Nagpur and is one among the chain of ICAR Institutes. In line with the recommendations of the Task Force on Land and Soil Resources (1972) which suggested the need for soil correlation, uniform nomenclature and proper soil mapping and also the presidential notification on December 15, 1973, the duties with respect to research, training, correlation, classification, mapping and interpretation were allotted to the NBSS&LUP.

Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Dairying, Animal Husbandry and Information and Broadcasting, Dr. L Murugan today said that as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat Campaign under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), the government is focusing on inland production of fish particularly in hilly areas. The Minister said this while visiting a fisheries farm and breeding centre in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.

 

During his visit, Sh. Murugan interacted with the fish farmers and hand

 

ed over seeds to them to enhance fish production under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).

 

The Minister advised the farmers to adopt the latest technology in fish farming so that they can come up to the mainstream and meet the demands of consumption and also of exports, particularly in fresh water fish production.

 

Sh. Murugan further said that government is promoting inland fisheries like Recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) and fresh water fish. He added that the government is committed to promote inland fishing in the country and special emphasis is being given to hilly areas.

 

The Minister said that since 2014, for the first time an investment of Rs. 32,000 crore has been made within eight years in the fisheries sector and the results are there for anyone to see. He emphasized that because of this investment, a blue revolution is taking place in the country.

 

He added that PMMSY is the Prime Minister’s dream project and the Central Government is working in close coordination with state governments to make this dream come true.

 

The minister also started a vaccination drive against Lumpy Skin Disease at Jyotipuram Gaushala in the district. The drive was organized by the Animal Husbandry Department.

Catering directly to the consumers’ needs assures better marketability and incomes. This is what nearly 10,000 farmers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have realised over the past decade and are now steering a silent organic movement.

 

It all began in 2009, when a group of consumers in Hyderabad, then part of unified Andhra Pradesh, established a cooperative society to source chemical-free produce directly from farmers.

 

Operating under the guidance of the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA), a Hyderabad-based research non-profit, the cooperative society over a period of time roped in a few farmers and began to sell the produce through a farmer-run retail store in Secunderabad and mobile retail vans that travelled to urban areas.

 

Soon, more and more organic farmers joined the cooperative society and what had started off as a consumers’ initiative became a farmers’ group. In 2013, when the government floated the concept of farmer producer organisation (FPO) to aggregate collection of produce and create market links for better prices under the Companies Act of 2013, CSA and the cooperative society saw this as an opportunity.

 

Establishing an FPO also helps gain financial support from the government. Thus, in 2014, all the farmers’ groups under the cooperative society registered themselves as organic FPOs, and the society at the helm as Sahaja Aharam Producer Company Limited, a unique 'federation' of organic FPOs.

 

That was the year when Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh. But Sahaja Aharam continued its operation as a federation with FPOs from both the states. Today, as many as 23 organic FPOS with over 9,000 farmers across 180 villages are part the federation.

 

The groups are spread over the southern plateau and hills of Andhra Pradesh, as well as the north, central and southern parts of Telangana. The farmers grow paddy, cereals, oilseeds, pulses, fruits, vegetables and spices.

 

To obtain membership, FPOs buy equity in the federation. A board of five directors coordinates operations at the federation level along with the heads of the FPOs and support from CSA.

 

Market is key

Since inception, Sahaja Aharam has realised that there is a growing market for organic produce that can help farmers earn more. So it provides marketing and retail support for certified organic produce. Some of its member-FPOs, though, market both conventional and organic produce.

 

The federation also encourages and helps farmers to obtain organic certification and trains them on cultivation of specific crops; weed, pest and disease management; and preparation of organic and biological inputs. Some farmers are also trained in poultry and livestock farming.

 

Venkat Reddy from Kallem village in Jangaon district, Telangana, who has converted 1.2 hectares (ha) of his 6.07 ha farm to organic, said, 'There was an initial loss in paddy yield after the shift, but the cost has reduced from Rs 25,000 per 0.4 ha to Rs 15,000. Currently, I grow organic paddy for my own consumption. But after seeing other farmers get 10-15 per cent more income from this variety, I plan to bring in more area under it.'

 

Regenerative or chemical-free cultivation has helped improve the local environmental conditions as well. Enabavi village in Telangana’s Hanamkoda district, which declared itself as the first organic village in the region in 2006 is now entirely free of pesticides, fertilisers and genetically modified crops.

 

All 52 farmer families of the village have shifted 110 ha to regenerative agriculture by composting organic waste, using cow dung manure and pest-trapping crops and harvesting water. 'This has led to a rise in soil fertility,' said GV Ramanjaneyulu, executive director of CSA.

 

With more farmers trying to benefit from regenerative agriculture, the federation is focused on helping its members gain a better market share. For this, it plans production strategies with its FPOs. It apprises them of trends in organic produce, sales figures and rates from the previous years.

 

'Unlike traditional FPOs, a lot of effort and business insight goes into production planning,' said Prasanna T P, chief executive of Sahaja Aharam. Further, to ensure quality, the federation tests 1 per cent of total produce for chemical pesticide residue.

 

'Sahaja Aharam buys my produce at 10-15 per cent higher price than the market,' said Vekanna Reddy, a farmer from Mulang village, Siddipet district, Telangana. The federation buys cereals, millets, pulses, vegetables and oilseeds at 10 per cent higher prices, which can increase based on quality. For paddy, rates can go higher.

 

The federation sells raw and processed products, which include food items, cosmetics and other non-food products. Some 45 per cent of the product range consists of organic fruits and vegetables. To set market prices, Sahaja Aharam follows two criteria.

 

First, the farmers’ share in the price must either be 50 per cent over the cost of cultivation, 12-15 per cent above the local market or 50 per cent of the average price in the previous year, whichever is highest.

 

For instance, it procures paddy crop from farmers at Rs 42 per kg and sells it for Rs 80 — cultivators earn more than half the retail price. Farmers are paid in two tranches, once during procurement and then after sale of products.

 

Second, to remain competitive, prices fixed by the federation are merely 15-20 per cent higher than those for conventional produce, but lower in comparison to those of some other organic players, particularly for pulses, groundnut oil and spices. Some 15 per cent of the price funds the federation’s operations.

 

For sales, the federation has expanded the retail stores. It now has two stores in Secunderabad and one each in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. Stores in Hyderabad and Secunderabad sell online as well. Their vans still operate in Hyderabad.

 

Sahaja Aharam also sells unlabelled produce in bulk to 110 aggregators. Currently, 55 per cent of sales are to bulk aggregators, 43 per cent through retail stores and 2 per cent online. Turnover has increased multifold over the last few years, from Rs 90.3 lakh 2018-19 to some Rs 2.61 crore in 2021-22.

 

Game-changer

The federation’s efforts to increase farm incomes go beyond market access.

 

'It has helped me re-learn sustainable farming techniques to increase yield. Earlier I used to earn Rs 29,600 per kg from paddy, now I earn Rs 33,000,' Krishan, a farmer from Jeedikal village in Jangaon district, who practices organic farming in his entire 2.8 ha, said. 'I can save 50 per cent of cultivation costs, around Rs 10,000, by using organic inputs that I make,' he added.

 

The federation encourages farmers to grow traditional and new crops, based on water requirement, pest resistance, yield and market preferences. It also enables knowledge exchange and peer learning.

 

Further, it has introduced a mobile application called Pestoscope and set up surveillance centres in villages, and shares weather predictions from the India Meteorological Department and states. Sahaja Aharam also introduced an enterprise resource planning tool in 2018, developed by CSA, to manage production, finances, warehousing, sales and data analysis.

 

To diversify incomes and provide more livelihood opportunities, the federation has set up 'food hubs' at six districts in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for storage and processing. It is also diversifying its product range to include ready-to-eat and non-food products.

 

The federation provides several lessons on hand-holding support, storage, processing and marketing, however, like other FPOs in the country, it faces challenges such as poor financial support and lack of skilled humanpower. Addressing these hurdles will help it grow better.

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shri Narendra Singh Tomar today inaugurated four new facilities at the Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), which has been rendering excellent services for more than 60 years under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).  Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Kailash Chaudhary were special guests on this occasion.

 

The Chief Guest of the programme, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, in his address, said that CAZRI, an institute of excellence of the ICAR, has been doing innovations and research in agriculture for the farmers of the arid region for more than 60 years, which is an example for our desert areas as well as for the whole world.

 

Due to the research work done by CAZRI such as dune stabilization, sprinkler and drip irrigation system and new varieties of crops, grasses and fruits, farmers' income is increasing. Work like solar energy, reduction in the cost of farming and livestock management by CAZRI will also be beneficial for the farmers of dry areas. Due to the new technologies and research achievements being developed by CAZRI from time to time, CAZRI bagged 8 out of 10 National Awards of ICAR in the last six years.

 

Shri Tomar also inaugurated the newly constructed auditorium, Agri-business Nurturing Centre, environment friendly waste water treatment plant and Indoor Sports Hall at CAZRI.

 

Shri Tomar further added that under the able leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India will be Number One in producing every crop and agricultural product. Currently, India ranks first or second in the world in terms of most of the agricultural produce.

 

Shri Tomar said that the Indian agricultural economy is very strong, which will be sustained, making India fully capable of dealing with any big crisis. Shri Tomar said that as the Chief Minister of Gujarat before 2014 and as the Prime Minister, Shri Modi constantly thinks about keeping the village-poor and farmers on priority. In last 8 years, many schemes have been launched under the leadership of PM Modi for improving agriculture, providing income support and technology support to the farmers. 86 percent of the small farmers of the country organized themselves through FPOs, now process their produce as well as get reasonable prices, he said. PM Modi has set up a fund of one lakh crore rupees for development of infrastructure in the agriculture sector, out of which projects worth 14,000 crore rupees have already been approved, informed Shri Tomar.

 

Describing the contribution of scientists as important in the progress of the agriculture sector, Shri Tomar said that they should focus on increasing productivity with a bigger goal. Emphasizing on increasing the availability of planting material, he said that if CAZRI goes ahead in this filed, the Central Government will extend full support. Shri Tomar lauded CAZRI for its many achievements. CAZRI has done countless research and developed technologies for agricultural development in the arid region, which are examples for our desert areas as well as for the whole world, Shri Tomar said. CAZRI has adopted a holistic approach to the development of dry-agriculture.

 

In his address, Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that India's prestige has increased all over the world under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Modi, today no platform can ignore India on any issue. Shri Shekhawat said that due to the hard work of farmers, contribution of agricultural scientists and policies of the government, today we have become recognised as an exporting country along with abundance of food grains. Prime Minister Shri Modi has taken steps to change the way we look at the agriculture sector and make it profitable. In the agriculture sector, many efforts have been made for the welfare of the farmers, whose results are visible. He said that the time has come to work from the perspective of how our farmers should work for the need of the world, how we should enable the farmers for this. Today food items are being judged on the basis of nutrition rather than weight, we are standing at the door of limitless possibilities. He talked about working on planting material in Jodhpur.

 

In his address, Shri Kailash Chaudhary said that CAZRI has contributed a lot to the cause of farmers. At one time this entire area was a desert. There was a problem of water scarcity, farmers were suffering, in such a situation, CAZRI brought new technology to the farmers. Today dates, pomegranates, and figs are being cultivated here and dragon fruit cultivation is about to start. In the coming days, the millet grown here will find it's due place in the world. There was a demand for a long time that research of millet should be done in Rajasthan, now millet research center is going to be opened by the center in Barmer.

 

Dr. Himanshu Pathak, Secretary, DARE and Director General of ICAR and Director of CAZRI, Dr. O.P. Yadav also addressed the function. Progressive farmers were honoured by Shri Tomar during the program.