Pune – Samunnati, one of India’s leading agri enterprises, and Maha FPO Federation have come together to host farm-gate procurement of onion in Maharashtra. The Maha FPO has received orders from the National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India (NCCF) for 5000 metric tonnes (MT) of onion and gram, which would be procured from FPOs on its roster. Under the programme, Samunnati has set up an in-situ loan disbursement team to process and make payments to the farmer producer organisations (FPO) and to the farmers for the procurement of these onions, instantly under an anchor finance plan to Maha FPO Federation. In addition, 5000 MT Bengal Gram will also be procured under the same programme for NCCF.
Over 50 FPOs are expected to participate in the programme in Nashik, Pune, and Ahmednagar districts, where the commodities will be graded and kept for future distribution. This programme will provide a platform where an FPO Federation can collaborate with an external agency to provide quick door-to-door credit services to its members.
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Highlighting the programme, N Ganesh, Head of the Lighthouse FPO programme from Samunnati said, “Farmer requirement in the context of fresh commodities is all about time and our idea is to create a model where we are able to enable the same by addressing the liquidity need at the speed of light.”
Dr Sanjay Pandhare of Maha FPO Federation which is anchoring the programme said, “There are times when the prices are right and commodities are available, but working capital is a challenge. Samunnati’s proposal to process and disburse working capital in real-time can become a game changer for the future of F&V (fruits & vegetables) farm-gate procurement.”
