The concept of an “Agripreneur” is slowly
gaining ground in the agriculture sector in the country. The term entrepreneur
is quite familiar; so is the term agriculturist. The agripreneur is one who
plays the role of an entrepreneur in the field of
agriculture.The
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural development (NABARD) is in the fore
front of pioneering this concept. Its Assistant General Manager at Madurai,
Sankar Narayan says that NABARD is actively working with farmers federations in
Usilampatti and Chellampatti to transform agriculturists into
agripreneurs.
Producer Organizations
NABARD has floated another
concept also called Producers Organizations, as a first step towards the
realization of changing farmers into agricultural entrepreneurs or
agripreneurs.A producer organization comprises of a group of
producers who have joined hands for the purpose of either agricultural or non
agricultural activities. NABARD has specified that it should be a registered
legal body. It has also been specified that only actual producers – especially
farmers – should be shareholders in the organization.
NABARD will extend support to the producers’ organizations by providing
term loan and working capital, support to capacity building and help in the
creation of marketing linkages. Support in terms of loan and grant is available
to any registered producer company, cooperatives, registered farmers
federations, etc. Under the Financial Intervention schemes of the Government,
NABARD will also provide loans directly to the producer organizations. These
loans can either be term loans or composite loans comprising of both working
capital and term loan requirements.
Since many of these newly formed
producer organizations may not be very familiar with processes and procedures of
availing loans, subsidies etc., and since many of them may lack the soft skills
to become a full fledged Agripreneur, NABARD will also extend grant support for
need based skill building, guide
business planning and support technological extension through classroom
training, exposure visits, agricultural university tie ups, expert meetings,
etc., For marketing efforts of the producer organization, NABARD will provide
assistance for setting up of marketing infrastructure facilities for sale of
produce.
PODF
An
Organization Development Fund - a
dedicated fund by the name ‘Producers Organization Development Fund (PODF) – has
also been set up in this connection by NABARD. The main purpose of this fund is
to support comprehensively the various producer organizations in different forms
across the country.
As
Sankar Narayan explains “farmers have not only to adopt latest technological
practices, but they should also have access to all the necessary resources. For
instance, they should collectively source inputs, own farm implements and give
out on hire to fellow farmers and even sell their produce collectively so that
they command the best price. All this requires unity and mobilization for which
NABARD encourages formation of farmers clubs, joint liability groups and farmers
club federations – all of which can eventually take the shape of producer
organizations.
S.Natarajan, DGM, NABARD,
Madurai said that farmers’ federations and NGOs functioning in a transparent
manner should take advantage of the support available for producers’
organizations. When the entire farming community is craving for better farm
income, this concept will help in empowering them and give them the crucial hold
on pricing decisions. However, professional functioning will be a key factor,
when the organisations are assessed for support by NABARD. With flexible
interest rates and support for capacity building, this product from NABARD will
be a win-win.
Views from
Some Producers Organizations
Banana Ripening Chambers for the banana growers of Varadarajapuram,
Tiruchi, Coffee growers in Dindigul, Drip Irrigation in Tirunelveli Cotton
ginning in Ramanathapuram etc. are some of the examples of producers
organizations that are on the way to becoming very good agripreneurs.Perumal from the OPR Federation in Tirunelveli says that “support from
NABARD has helped us cover our entire village under the novel DRIP irrigation
technology and thereby survive on scarce water. This support also helped us to
bring in convergence in the form of subsidy support from the horticulture and
other departments.
Kanakama and Krishnaveni from Dindugul say confidently that the concept
of agripreneurs is indeed a workable and practical one. They have pointed out
that even woman’s self help groups have been able to maximize their income in a
more efficient manner through the networking with various producers’
organizations.
Courtesy: PIB
Courtesy: PIB
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