Project on formation & promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) under central sector scheme
JVES first got the opportunity as an empanelled Cluster Based Business Organisation (CBBO) in 2022 to promote FPOs under the central sector scheme under the implementing agency (IA) Uttar Pradesh Diversified Agricultural Support Project (UPDASP) and promote 7 FPOs in the State of UP all under PGS Organic Certification system. We were awarded to promote 3 FPOs in Unnao and 4 in Kasganj district and we were not only successful in registering the FPOs within the first two months from the date of allocation but were the first to achieve break-even of our FPOs with one of the highest turnovers amongst the central sector scheme in the state of UP.
Further in the year 2022, we got selected after a stringent review by the nodal central Govt. undertaking - Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) was given the Sanction order to promote and develop 4 FPOs in the State of West Bengal in the Bankura district. The 4 Blocks that were awarded to JVES were Joypur, Kotulpur, Raipur and Barjora and all these FPOs to be registered under the Companies Act 2013. Currently, the FPOs are in their 2nd year of operations and all the FPOs have received the 1st tranche of matching equity grant and 2nd instalment of FPO Management Cost. These FPOs have started functioning well and could develop as one of the best success stories of FPOs under CSS in the state of West Bengal.
Subsequently, at the end of 2022, JVES was selected to promote and register FPOs under the National Co-operative Development Corporation and was given the work order to promote 14 FPOs in West Bengal. Except for Jalpaiguri district which got 1 FPO development allocation, we got 4 FPOs to promote each in Jhargram and Paschim Medinipur and 5 FPOs in Nadia district. All these farmer-producer organizations has to be registered under the West Bengal State Co-operative Society Act and have a tedious process for its registration.
In total JVES is promoting 25 FPOs under the Central Sector Scheme and will be having on average 18,750 farmers by the end of 2024-25 and in multiple agro-climatic conditions. As per the current baseline data received by us, we expect multiple improvement areas in agronomy practices, farm mechanization, integrated farming and support towards sustainable agriculture adaptation in the initial years which are further to be supported with post-harvest management intervention and product development at the farm level. We are hopeful of turning these potential projects to their best and helping create better livelihood impact projects at the grassroots level helping the farmers to be climate smart, well informed and retain the maximum value of the farm produce.
