ESAF

Support for setting up collection centres and marketing infrastructure

Overview

ESAF launched a special project for farm collectives that helps them in meeting the shortfalls in infrastructure, collection, aggregation and storage of farm produce. Under the project, ESAF supported farmers by setting up milk collection centres, centres for procurement and marketing of farm produce, nurseries for organic vegetables and flowers. The farmers were also provided with cold storage boxes that prevent post-harvest losses along with solar dryers that help them dry and sell ready to eat items. ESAF and beneficiary farmers’ collectives made major contributions towards developing the infrastructure units of farmers’ collectives. The units have been established and now support the farmers’ collectives in achieving the objective of the project.

PDS launched a special project for farmers’ collectives to help them meet the shortfall in infrastructure, collection, aggregation and storage of farm produces. Under this project, PDS contributed a machine for grading and sorting of pulses to each of the two FPOs in Maharashtra.

Project Objectives

To provide infrastructure facilities to Farmers’ Collectives, which will, in turn, improve the value of the harvested produces as it reduces wastage and increases shelf life.

To train the FC stakeholders and enhance the value chain of farm produces.

To enhance the Farm equipment Services of Farmers’ Collectives by establishing Custom Hiring Centres at FCs that provide small and marginal farmers access to modern equipment.

To provide an online platform for FCs to exploit the e-commerce market opportunities.

To develop branding and package designing solutions for FCs to help them in marketing their processed Agri commodities to the local and outside market.

To improve the socio-economic conditions of poor farmers in remote areas by providing Infrastructure support, Market Linkages and Capacity Building for Farmers & Farmers’ Collectives.

Activities

Setting up infrastructure support for two FPOs.
Setting up a low-cost processing unit for cleaning, grading, processing and sorting.

Set up milk collection centres for collecting milk from the dairy farmers through farmers’ collectives.

Set up cold storage boxes to reduce the post-harvest loss and increase the shelf life of farm produces.

Set up vegetable and fruit collection centres.

Set up a solar dryer to dry fruits and reduce the post-harvest losses.

Impacts

Through the establishment of vegetable cum flower nursery, 8 lakh saplings were nurtured and sold for Rs. 2.4 lakh. A total profit of Rs. 80,000 was made (Rs.60,000 for FPC and Rs. 20,000 for Krushakmitra).

90 members benefitted from seven milk collection centres. The farmers got an additional benefit by getting Re. 1 more than the market price, raising their monthly income by an average of Rs. 1,266.

40 dairy farmers availed dairy loans from ESAF Small Finance Bank. The average loan size was 1.5 lakh and the total amounted to Rs. 60 lakh.

18 farmers used the cold storage boxes for storing flowers and sold 19.2 tons of flowers. Thanks to the storage boxes, they could save 38 kg of flowers and gain an additional monthly income of Rs. 3,800.

Through Vegetable and fruit collection centres, 80 tons of vegetables worth Rs. 16 lakh were procured by 45 farmers with an average monthly benefit of Rs. 3,500. FPOs graded, sorted and sold the produce with a 20% margin, generating a monthly income of Rs. 48,000.

Hope blooms in cold storage boxes

The story of Vanitha

A large section of rural farmers in Tamil Nadu depends on floriculture for their livelihood. The lives of floriculturists are not as colourful as the flowers they harvest. Post-harvest loss of flowers and seasonal demands hamper their earnings. Vanitha is a floriculturist from Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu. She is the sole breadwinner of her poor agrarian family of three. She, like many other farmers in the state, was hit by post-harvest losses and struggled to make both ends meet.

When the farmers shared their plight with ESAF in an FPC meeting, the authorities at ESAF took a special interest in their case and observed that the farmers were losing large bunches of flowers due to post-harvest loss. Soon, ESAF came up with a solution- mobile cold storage boxes, which helped in reducing post -harvest losses of flowers.

ESAF purchased 15 cold storage boxes and distributed them among the farmers. Vanitha was one of the 18 farmers from the region who received the cold storage boxes. She was able to reduce the post-harvest losses and earn more after she used the facility. The distribution of cold storage boxes was a great solace to the farmers, they managed to earn an additional average income of Rs. 3,800 each.

Serving food to those who are destined to serve food

The story of Small farmers

COVID-19 has impacted the whole world negatively. It has taken its toll on some families, especially those from rural communities who live at the last mile. Small farmers and marginalized/ migrant workers were worst hit by the pandemic. We found that more than 230 families were struggling for food. These were the families of our FPO shareholders or associated FPOs. Being servant leaders, we were bent on keeping our promise to support the FPOs.

We did a need analysis survey and formulated a list of 250 needy families. With the support of the HO team and FPO team, we provided ration kits to these 250 Families. Our stakeholders and beneficiaries including Prakash Meena, the CEO of Reva Farmer Producer Company, and Hitesh Bhoyar, the CEO of AAUT Farmer Producer Company thanked us and heaped praise on us for this kind gesture.