JAIPUR
A farmer producer organisation (FPO) at Lambi Ahir village in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district has successfully harvested and sold 80,000 kg of mustard with its 300 members diligently working to acquire knowledge and skills for soil testing; sourcing fertilisers and pesticides; procuring high-quality seeds; and conducting regular crop audits.
Within a few months of its inception, the FPO, run by Lambi Ahir’s woman sarpanch Neeru Yadav, has generated revenue worth ₹50 lakh. The farmers’ body is now poised to set up an agro-processing unit with an investment of ₹5 crore, promising a slew of benefits for the village’s farmers.
Named Sachhi Saheli Mahila Agro Producer Company Limited, it is the 15th FPO established in collaboration with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in the State. Ms. Yadav has taken the helm as the head of the board of directors, leading the charge to bring benefits to its members with an equity of ₹1,000 each.
In a move towards gender equality, the FPO has included 150 women farmers as equity holders alongside their male counterparts. Ms. Yadav said on Friday that the women farmers, comprising half of the country’s agricultural workforce, played an instrumental role in the agriculture sector.
“Our FPO is a unique entity which exemplifies perfect gender equality with equal representation of women and men farmers,” she said.
Women play an important role in all activities, ranging from seed selection and planting to harvesting and post-harvest management. To ensure the cultivation of the right crop and its sale at minimum support prices, the FPO members regularly brush up their knowledge and interact with the farming and agricultural marketing experts for their guidance.
Tangible benefits
Ms. Yadav said the FPO’s primary goal was to create diverse market access avenues for the farmers, facilitating economies of scale, reducing transaction costs and doing away with the need for middlemen.
“Our focus is on increasing income, promoting empowerment and building capacity among our farmers,” she said.
The farmers had started getting tangible benefits within a few months of the FPO’s establishment, Ms. Yadav pointed out. In addition to her role in the FPO, Ms. Yadav has been instrumental in initiating several other developmental projects in Lambi Ahir and she recently donated her salary of two years to train the village girls in hockey, facilitating the creation of a State-level team.
The woman sarpanch has also successfully trained 10 girls under the Prime Minister’s Kaushal Vikas Yojana, leading to their placement in some multinational companies. Following the successful project, 15 more girls have joined her initiative for skill development training and a new batch will commence shortly.
“Our focus is on increasing income, promoting empowerment and building capacity among our farmers”Neeru YadavLambi Ahir’s woman sarpanch
