Nafed To Invest In Odisha By Partnering With FPOs

Bhubaneswar: The National Agriculture Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (Nafed) is planning to invest in Odisha by partnering with farmer-producer organisations (FPOs).

Speaking at a webinar titled, ‘Farmer Producer Organisations: Nafed’s Vision for Odisha,’ organised by the Odisha Corporate Foundation (OCF), a non-profit organisation of the state on Saturday, Nafed’s managing director Sanjeev Kumar Chadha said the federation has started the initiative at 25 places of Maharashtra and is going to replicate the same in Odisha.

He said Nafed aims at promoting cooperative marketing of agricultural produce to benefit farmers. “We are now working with a different perspective and have devised plans to work towards linking the producers with the buyers by ensuring certain produce reach the proper market. This facility will be implemented in Odisha and Karnataka on a pilot basis. In the current marketing ecosystem, the new agriculture policy of the Central government has created several opportunities for FPOs,” Chadha said.

The federation is now emphasising on educating the producers on FPO and is planning to set up 100 FPOs in Odisha, he added.

The federation’s additional MD Pankaj Kumar Prasad described in detail the objectives and functions of Nafed and its associate organisation – the Federation of Indian FPOs and Aggregators (FIFA), which Nafed took over with an aim to support farmers by providing them market linkages and post-harvest infrastructure.

He also threw light on agriculture portal e-kisan, which allows farmers to showcase their produce online to wholesalers to bid remotely and sell directly without depending on middlemen. FIFA has made an agreement with the Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University in Bhubaneswar for incubation and training facility, he added.

“It is high time the state gave utmost importance to agriculture for sustainable development,” said former chief secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik. “It is a good sign that educated and informed youths are now opting for agriculture as a profession. Organic farming is in vogue. We need to work towards commercialisation of agriculture,” he said.

Co-founder and Director of Ecociate Consultants Kirti Prasanna Mishra moderated the webinar.