The Hindu Business Line : DSCL plans to expand farmers' stores network

DCM Shriram Consolidated Ltd (DSCL) has chalked out plans to expand its retail network. The company has finalised plans to more than double its existing retail chain of farmers' stores Hariyali Kisan Bazar (HKB) by the end of the current fiscal.

As of now, the company has nine HKB shops, which would go up to 20 by March 2005, Mr Ajay S. Shriram, Chairman and Senior Managing Director of the company, told Business Line.

"Initially, the plan is to spread the network across northern India. Once it is through, the company would look into other areas," Mr Shriram said.

HKB stores are a fully-equipped chain of retail shops, each built over an area of 10,000 square feet for agricultural inputs and services promoted by DSCL. The investment per shop is approximately around Rs 1 crore.

These stores offer a complete range of quality inputs such as fertilisers, seeds, pesticides, irrigation equipment, farm fuels etc, objective technical guidance, easy crop finance and direct output linkages for the farmers.

The direct output linkages offered by the HKBs to the farmers provide contract farming opportunities to farmers whereby they can sow new crops and sell their products directly to the processors and realise better prices.

The HKBs are also equipped with a team of agri-experts for giving scientific and technical help to the farmers. These experts also visit the fields regularly. The stores, through its tie-up with banks, also arrange for cheap and easy credit to farmers for their input needs.

These HKBs are fully computerised including billing to farmers as well as maintaining individual farmer specific database. "Once we have 20 stores by March 2005, we would be going in for another 10 new shops during fiscal 2005-06. That would make the HKBs a 30-store retail network dedicated to the needs of the farming community," he said.