Inauguration of 14 FDCs with eFresh Agribusiness Solutions

Aligned with our mission to make markets work for smallholder farmers, Samunnati in partnership with eFresh Agribusiness Solutions Pvt Ltd. inaugurated 14 FDCs in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. A SMART and Sustainable farming platform, FDC is listed as one of the four innovations by Green Innovation Center, an initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India, and German cooperation.

The launch happened on the auspicious occasion of Gandhi Jayanti i.e. 2nd October 2020. It was one of the first online events where we had FPOs and smallholders to celebrate the inauguration & establishment of these FDCs along with the Agri-experts. The launch was also aimed at creating awareness and educating other FPOs and Agri practitioners from across the various States about the benefits of FDCs.

Farmer Development Centre (FDC) is a physical store that is set up at the Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) premises under the franchise business model as a one-stop solution for all farmers’ needs. The model will leverage the power of aggregation to make available high-quality products at the right time and at economical prices. The technology infrastructure & digitization will drive efficiency, ease of doing business at the store level & will opportunity to leverage the benefits of analytics for the system as a whole.

FDCs would enhance the learning ecosystem for the farmers through the ‘model farmer initiative’ & advisory services through its partners. It would extend its coverage to subsume, farm output market linkages, farm machinery, insurance & other value-added services.

FDC is owned, operated, and managed by FPOs. While eFresh will facilitate the procurement of quality inputs from leading brands and manufacturers based on the demand of the FDCs, Samunnati strengthens the FDCs by providing financing, market linkages, advisory services, and the introduction of advanced technologies through its AMLA [Aggregation, Market Linkages and Advisory] Approach.

Overall, the benefits to FPOs through FDCs are as follows.

Customized Software for the digitization of data & records, and statutory compliances
Spreading good agricultural practices through model farmers program
The FPO team can focus more on identification and provision of value-added services
Enhanced farm output market linkages through traceability and quality specifications
Additional income generation through farm machinery hiring, insurance and other digital services linkages