The first commercial shipment of fresh farm produce by farmer producer organisations (FPOs) in Odisha was shipped, via the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) on May, 15, 2024.
A media statement said 0.75 tonnes of fresh produce were shipped to Dubai, with an incremental price realisation of 20-30 per cent for the farmers.
Of this, 0.5 tonnes was supplied by Madanamohana Farmers’ Producer Cooperative Society Ltd, an FPO supported by Harsh Trust, from Odapada block of Dhenkanal district.
Additionally, 1.22 tonnes of Amrapalli mangoes and Dussehri mangoes from the FPO have been exported to Italyin the last two days, achieving a 40 per cent increase in price realisation for the farmers.
Alliance helps seamless integration
It said the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and the Directorate of Horticulture, with support from Palladium as the technical support unit (TSU) of the Promotion and Stabilisation of Farmer Producer Organisations (PSFPO) project, have come together to redefine the market linkage of FPOs in Odisha.
This alliance aims to facilitate the seamless integration of Odisha’s premium mango and fresh vegetables produce into international markets, marking a significant milestone in the agricultural landscape of the region.
The PSFPO team, facilitated the initiative, by working closely with the APEDA officials, exporters and FPOs. The team started off, by identifying the suitable clusters and FPOs, followed by visiting the FPOs along and facilitating discussions between the FPOs and the buyers. This was followed by creating an action plan and ensuring smooth coordination to facilitate the off take, adhering to quality standards, storage, handling, packaging, transportation and other logistics requirements, it said.
The first commercial shipment of fresh produce was shipped via BPIA on May, 15, 2024 through this initiative.
State with huge potential
Quoting Sitakanata Mandal, Regional Head of APEDA, the statement said: “This season, we wanted to operationalise the supply of fresh produce (fruits and vegetables) to global markets. This, has been possible by partnering with Palladium, the TSU under Directorate of Horticulture. We started by identifying the clusters and FPOs, to source the fresh produce and the effort culminated in shipment of first commercial shipment of fresh produce shipped via BPIA on May 15, 2024! The effort put in by the Palladium under Directorate of Horticulture in connecting FPOs of Odisha to the global markets is appreciable.”
Biswajit Behera, Associate Director of Palladium, said Odisha, with 800-plus FPOs in the State, has a huge potential for supply of fresh produce to global markets. Palladium works on a marketing system development approach to catalyse income enhancement for the smallholder farmers. Such global market connect initiatives, not only boost the confidence of farmer producer organisations from remote parts of the state but also offer opportunities to scale up their supply positions with cost efficient quality control systems in place.
“Looking forward to connecting more FPOs in Odisha to profitable global markets through sustainable linkages through active participation from the private sector and inclusively transform agribusiness ecosystem in the state of Odisha,” Behera said.