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SMART Project hosts first divisional buyer–seller meet in Nashik to boost institutional market linkages
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Friday, 13 February, 2026, 13 : 00 PM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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The Balasaheb Thackeray Agribusiness and Rural Transformation (SMART) Project organised its first Divisional Buyer–Seller Meet for the Nashik Division, marking a significant step toward strengthening institutional market access for farmer collectives. The one-day event brought together Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), Cluster Based Organisations (CBOs), institutional buyers and senior government officials to enable structured, transaction-focused engagement.
Implemented by the Government of Maharashtra with World Bank assistance and technical support from Palladium Consulting India Pvt. Ltd., the SMART Project aims to build stronger agribusiness ecosystems through value chain-led rural transformation.
In his inaugural address, Abhimanyu Kashid, Nodal Officer, Nashik RIU, highlighted the project’s focus on developing key commodity value chains, reducing post-harvest losses, improving aggregation systems and strengthening processing capacity to enhance farmer incomes. He stressed the need for greater inclusion of women in aggregation, processing and marketing activities. “The objective is to rationalise the role of intermediaries and stakeholders in the chain so that greater benefits directly accrue to CBOs and farmers,” he said.
Subhash Katkar, Joint Director of Agriculture, Nashik, noted the structural transformation in Maharashtra’s agriculture from subsistence farming in the 1990s to quality-driven, export-oriented production today. “Nearly 90 per cent of Maharashtra’s cropping pattern today is business-oriented,” he stated, pointing to the rising commercial importance of maize, soybean and cotton.
Technical sessions focused on buyer expectations, quality standards, grading, packaging and certification. Representatives from companies including Reliance Retail, BigBasket, Flipkart Minutes, Swiggy, Zepto, Sahyadri Farms, Adani Agri Fresh, DeHaat, Vegrow, WayCool and CPF engaged in one-to-one meetings with FPOs to explore sourcing partnerships.
Officials said the meet is designed as a transaction-enabling platform under the SMART framework and is expected to serve as a model for similar initiatives across Maharashtra.
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