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Common Service Centre, a special purpose vehicle under the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), plans to set up 6,000 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), one in every block, in the next six months.
It has so far established 72 FPOs.
“We have already received applications from around 5,000 CSC village level entrepreneurs (VLEs) who will help in this. The process of registration has started and CSC SPV has also submitted proposal to the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and Small Farmers’ Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC). These FPOs will have about one-crore farmers registered for availing various services,” Dinesh Tyagi, Managing Director, CSC told BusinessLine.
Farmers will be their own masters in every aspect of decision making at the FPO level. These FPOs can also be linked to commodity exchanges to get best price for the farmers and support in futures sale, he said.
CSC will help in extension, supplying inputs, purchase produce, store the inputs and produce at FPO level, lease farm equipment, extend loan/ credit to farmers, provide cold storage facility and insurance, pension for all, he said.
The CSCs in rural India are providing a large number of services especially to farmers through a network of more than 2.65 lakh centres at Panchayat level. CSCs are integral part of digital India initiative of the government with the objective of delivering services close to the citizen’s doorstep.
“Farmers in the villages can today avail all services through the CSC. They can take advice from the Krishi Vikas Kendra scientist on all aspects of farming – pest control, seeds, new technology, organic farming, horticulture, animal husbandry and weather-related information – through the CSC in their village,” Tyagi explained.
CSC has also designed and developed a virtual call application to enable the farmers to consult and take advice from the Scientists. Tele agriculture is a unique initiative for farmers by the CSC SPV and more than two-lakh consultations have taken place so far through Tele agriculture, he said.
“The other important support which a farmer needs relates to sale of produce and we have CSC Kisan eMart that provides the platform for farmer. This has helped a large number of farmers get better price and sell without hassle as the crop is picked up at the farm and money deposited into their account immediately,” Tyagi added.
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