|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
Need for pvt backing to expedite efforts in supporting FPOs, says Singh
|
|
Saturday, 29 September, 2018, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
|
|
Our Bureau, New Delhi
|
While the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has supported over 4,000 farmer producer organisations (FPOs), the government is seeking increased private sector participation to support more farmer producer groups and link them with markets.
This was stated by Radha Mohan Singh, agriculture and farmers’ welfare minister, Government of India, while inaugurating an Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) exhibition and conference on food value chain partnerships in New Delhi recently.
“While many state governments and even the private sector is supporting FPOs, we need to expedite these efforts, we had also called a meeting for the same in the ministry, which was attended by top private players, including Haldiram’s and ITC,” he added.
Highlighting that farmers cannot get an adequate price for their produce without value addition, Singh stated that adding value to the farm produce would make agriculture a remunerative proposition.
Noting that there was a huge opportunity for conversion of farm produce into value-added products, the minister added, “Focussing on value addition, processing, end-to-end management, input and output management, marketing and all these aspects would go a long way in realising the government’s commitment towards increasing farmers’ incomes.”
Talking about government’s achievements in farm sector, Singh said that there was more awareness amid farmers countrywide about agricultural schemes floated during the tenure of the present government, unlike in the previous regime, whereby the reform process in the area of agriculture slowed down considerably.
“Earlier we used to only hear talks about cold storage, but it is in these past four years that we have strengthened the cold chain infrastructure, and up to 24,000 pack houses have come up. Earlier this concept was not even imagined,” he added.
The minister also informed that the initiatives taken under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana had started yielding results, as people on a large scale are reaping benefits from the same. He added, “It is also playing a significant role in development of mega food parks and value chain as we have done away with the various discrepancies that were there earlier.”
Sharing his perspective, Uday Kumar Varma, secretary general, ASSOCHAM, said, “Food value chains can be more effective when enterprises involved in value chain agree on a set of mission values like farm viability, farm-land preservation and access to healthy food, along with sustainable production practices and a set of shared operational values such as accountability, long-term commitment, open and ongoing communication and transparency, and use them as a means to differentiate and add value to the products they are offering to their customers/consumers.”
Raju Kapoor, director, FMC Corporation, suggested that the government, regulators, farmers and other stakeholders work in tandem to make the food value chain management more effective for the benefit of Indian farmers.
Others who addressed the ASSOCHAM conference included Rene Van Berkel, UNIDO Representative in India, and H P Singh, chairman, ASSOCHAM National Council on Agriculture and Food Security.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|