JSF signs MoU with NABARD to raise farmers’ incomes

In order to increase farmers’ incomes, Jindal Stainless Foundation (JSF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in New Delhi. The MoU will intensify ‘Project Krishi Unnati’, an ongoing CSR initiative of Jindal Stainless Foundation aimed at doubling farmers’ incomes.
The MoU is expected to positively impact four lakh farmers in two phases, spread over five years. As part of the MoU, JSF will partially fund and support the operations of NABARD and other implementing partners towards this end. The Foundation will also build necessary market and financial linkages for farmers in target states.
Highlighting about the MoU, Deepika Jindal, Chairperson, Jindal Stainless Foundation, said, “The collaboration with NABARD is an extension of our MoU signed with the Odisha government last year. So far, in Odisha, we have already reached out to over 20,000 farmers through this intervention. We are essentially providing farmers with end-to-end solutions from soil testing and crop management to market linkages and promoting climate resilient technologies through partnerships.”
Brig Rajiv Williams, Corporate Head, CSR at Jindal Stainless and Avinash C Srivastava, Chief General Manager of Farm Sector Development Department, NABARD signed the MOU in the presence Deepika Jindal; Naresh Gupta, Managing Director, NABARD Consultancy Services (NABCONS); Aneesh Jain, Director and Founder Gram Unnati and Meera, from UN International Fund for Agriculture Development. The MoU will impact farmers in Haryana, Odisha and other states of mutual interest.
Spearheading this initiative, JSF will strengthen farmer institutions such as Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), Farmers’ Clubs and Self-Help-Groups (SHGs) promoted by NABARD to develop better market, input, and financial linkages. In turn, NABARD, through its various schemes, will extend complementary support to initiatives run by the JSF. NABARD will also designate relevant individuals and teams at regional levels to assist in the implementation of the terms of MoU.
This association will therefore help create large-scale systems that will enable farmers to access high quality inputs such as better seeds and other agriculture-related technologies at reasonable and subsidised rates. The intervention shall assist farmers in crop selection, adoption of best practices and technical know-how, input linkages, accessing government schemes, and finally, market linkages.