Krishikalpa, a not-for-profit organisation for farmer producer organisations (FPOs) has launched an accelerator program in collaboration with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabarad) with an aim to support 30 FPOs distributed across Karnataka.

The initiative aims to facilitate the transformation of FPOs into sustainable rural enterprises. This will be achieved by delivering training sessions focusing on market orientation, business development, and entrepreneurial leadership skills. Additionally, the initiative seeks to establish connections between FPOs and agricultural technology start-ups, processors, and conscientious buyers.

“By empowering FPOs with essential entrepreneurial skills and market insights, Krishikalpa aims to catalyse a transformation towards sustainable and scalable rural businesses. Nabard’s commitment to rural development coupled with Krishikalpa’s comprehensive approach will ensure we are poised to drive positive change in the agricultural ecosystem, fostering resilience, prosperity, and sustainability for generations to come,” said Prashanth Prakash, Chairman, Krishikalpa.

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The program comprises two FPOs with revenue exceeding ₹1 crore, ten FPOs generating between ₹50 lakh to ₹1 crore, another ten FPOs with revenue ranging from ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh, and eight FPOs generating between up to ₹10 lakh, per Krishikalpa. The program includes a total of 30 FPOs, with an additional 6 reserve FPOs as stated by the organisation.

“The crux of the program is to make the farmers aware about the buyers and get the growers in contact with them , as the biggest challenges the agriculture producers face is that they lack information about buyers in the market. Growers don’t know buyers, buyers don’t know growers,” said CM Patil, CEO, Krishikalpa.

Krishikalpa, founded in 2020, has structured this program as a one year initiative. The primary goal is to double the revenue of the selected FPOs by the fiscal year 2024-25, with a three-month grace period.

(Reported by bl intern Meghna Barik)

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