Maharashtra farmers exploring partnerships with corporates

Maharashtra Farmers Producer Firm (MahaFPC), a consortium of about 400 FPCs in the Condition, is exploring partnerships and joint ventures with corporate houses even as debates and conversations on new farm rules continue on.

The MahaFPC has now introduced India’s to start with onion storage and advertising infrastructure by way of the general public-non-public-partnership (PPP) product. Yogesh Thorat, MD, MahaFPC, explained to BusinessLine it is high time farmers seemed at equitable partnerships and not a subsidy to endure.

“There is no solution for modest farmers than to kind FPCs and corporate bodies will have to offer with FPCs. Corporate bodies would not be fascinated in output-centric operations but in infrastructure and worth chain advancement. We are searching for investment decision-centric partnerships and joint ventures. This is the way to shift forward,” mentioned Thorat including that the onion experiment has boosted the self-confidence of farmers.

MahaFPC, a financial gain-producing affiliation helping multi-commodity growers, has made onion storage and advertising infrastructure by way of twenty five spouse FPCs with a joint partnership with National Agricultural Marketing and advertising Federation of India (Nafed). This task has immediate possession of two,five hundred farmers and gains twenty five,000 onion producers by way of inter-condition trade, linkages with corporate buyers and retail chains.

This is a to start with of its type of task whereby warehousing and advertising amenities for perishable commodities have been made in PPP method.

‘Unfounded fears’

A portion of farmers opposing new farm rules has alleged that huge corporates will reap the gains of reforms and farmers will be still left high and dry.

“Farmers and farming has to be competitive,” mentioned Thorat including that anxiety that huge corporates will consider above agriculture is unfounded. MahaFPC is also planning a non-banking monetary business to assistance farmers to produce agriculture infrastructure, worth chain management and easy entry to liquidity.

Thorat additional that in final few months out-of-mandi trade has captivated farmers who are selling their make to non-public players by way of FPCs.

According to Vilas Shinde, Chairman and Running Director of the Nashik-centered FPO Sahyadri Farms, farmers’ collectives will raise their negotiation energy with corporates. He mentioned that farming will have to be finished skillfully and farmers will have to teach by themselves as business people.