This newsletter is backed via Bayer
The yr 2018 marked a watershed second for Bhagalpur district in Bihar. Katarni rice, a short-grained selection, identified for its distinctive style and aroma, in conjunction with the Jardalu mango local to the area, won the coveted Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the UN — a difference that promised to respire new existence into the rural panorama of Bihar. Whilst this reputation was once an auspicious starting, demanding situations continued for small-scale farmers, who struggled to maximize their earnings and get entry to broader markets.
Round the similar time, Manish Singh, a trainer via occupation, hailing from a farming circle of relatives in Sultangunj village in Bhagalpur, made up our minds to make the leap into agriculture. With a deep-rooted interest for farming and a imaginative and prescient to enlarge the price of the produce, Manish launched into a challenge.
In spite of having a GI tag, maximum farmers within the district have been promoting Katarni paddy at Rs 30 according to kg. The problem, Manish says, was once that “farmers didn’t know the price of the rice. Since we’re all small farmers, we weren’t in a position to get the best value or in finding the best other people to promote our merchandise to.” He knew collectivisation was once the one strategy to make certain that farmers like himself are in a position to get the best cost for his or her produce, Manish tells The Higher India.
Manish led a bunch of farmers to shape the Jardalu and Katarni Agro Manufacturer Corporate Restricted, a Farmer Manufacturer Organisation (FPO), in April 2023. Their adventure was once made conceivable in the course of the give a boost to of Bayer, running in collaboration with the Small Farmers’ Agri-Trade Consortium (SFAC) below the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Union govt advanced the concept that of FPOs within the early 2000s to permit small and marginal farmers to fortify their get entry to to investments, generation, and markets. The facility of collectivisation now not handiest stepped forward manufacturing potency but additionally prepared the ground for higher pricing methods and advertising avenues.
Serving to farmers develop into self-reliant
“Bayer launched into a challenge to strengthen FPOs 5 years in the past. The formation of FPOs is essential to give a boost to small farmers. In my view, they have got a low scale and can not marketplace or delivery their merchandise. When 400 to 500 farmers come in combination, they have got a chance to collaborate. We assist those FPOs on enter in addition to output,” explains Rajesh Singh, Lead – Type Farms and Collaboration, Bayer.
Bayer’s give a boost to technique is two-fold. Their first focal point is construction capacity, and the second one is advancing agricultural output. At the enter entrance, they supply FPOs with fertilisers, crop coverage merchandise, top quality seeds, and cost-reduction projects. Concurrently, they forge connections with massive retail chains, facilitate global exports, hyperlink farmers to monetary establishments, and discover avenues for value-added merchandise that promise further source of revenue.
Bayer nurtures and guides FPOs in 21 states which fulfil the necessities of the farmers via a consortium of agricultural corporations. They get rid of the will for a intermediary via aggregating call for and making sure uptake of the produce whilst additionally offering agronomic inputs to extend yield.
Doubling farmer earning
Inside a month of its inception in 2023, the 200-farmer-strong FPO referred to as Jardalu and Katarni Agro Manufacturer Corporate Restricted, accomplished a exceptional feat via exporting 4 Metric Tonnes (MT) of Jardalu mangoes to Dubai and likewise developing linkages like supplying 3.5 MT to Lulu Mall in Lucknow. The FPO accomplished this good fortune with out middlemen, resulting in reputation and larger profitability.
Manish beams with satisfaction, “For the primary time, we have been in a position to export our Jardalu mangoes and earn upper earnings. In spite of having a GI tag, we by no means were given the advantages of it at once. Those mangoes and Katarni rice handiest develop in Bhagalpur and Munger districts.” Paddy farmers within the area would previous promote their produce within the home markets at Rs 30 according to kg. The formation of the FPO below Bayer’s steerage has helped them fetch Rs 55 and above according to kg for Katarni paddy, he explains.
This has spurred farmers in Bhagalpur to re-light their love for Katarni rice, a wide range that yields double the source of revenue in the similar land in comparison to standard rice. “As in comparison to 15 mann (600 kg) according to acre yield of different rice types previous, farmers at the moment are generating 20 mann (800 kg) of Katarni rice,” says Manish.
Farmers realized the artwork of branding, packaging, and efficient advertising via their affiliation with the FPO. Manish thank you Bayer for enjoying a pivotal position in steerage the farmers in the best course, and serving to them forge connections. The FPO now objectives to promote 50 MT of chuda (flat rice), along with the rice, from January 2024.
The longer term holds thrilling probabilities, together with the manufacturing of ‘inexperienced poha‘ from Katarni rice, a undertaking into exports, and the upcoming enrollment of 300 extra farmers into the FPO.
Collectivisation: A roadmap for expansion
Aligned with the federal government’s pressure to collectivise farmers below manufacturer organisations, Bayer has been nurturing and supporting greater than 3000 FPOs around the nation.
Rajesh Singh stocks, “We need to assist lakhs of farmers within the coming years. On moderate, every FPO has round 580 farmers. Within the subsequent six to seven years, it’s estimated that just about 30 p.c of the rustic’s small farmers might be below FPOs. That is had to assist farmers develop and those collectives make it simple for us to serve and hook up with them.”
Bayer is operating on bettering farmers’ earnings significantly within the subsequent two years and offering them with equipment to extend their produce. They’re that specialize in spaces equivalent to soil checking out, nutrient control, illness and pest keep watch over, and the enhancement of horticultural crop output. The ripple impact of aggregation and advertising has already ended in higher pricing, and now, value-added merchandise equivalent to pulp, dehydrated end result, and greens are at the horizon.
As a brand new break of day emerges over the fields of Bhagalpur, the tale of Manish Singh and his fellow farmers serves as an inspiration. Their adventure from modest beginnings to thriving Agri-entrepreneurs paints a bright image of empowerment, cohesion, and the prospective hidden inside the fields of Bihar.
Edited via Padmashree Pande and Pranita Bhat