Be’nishan, a federation of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) established as a Farmer Producer Company (FPC) with support from the Society for the Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) in December 2019, has recorded cumulative business of ₹463 crore through procurement under Minimum Support Price (MSP), Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF), and Price Support Scheme (PSS) mechanisms, according to the SERP officials.
Of the total, ₹151 crore was achieved through direct output marketing. The initiative has enabled farmers to earn an additional income of 15% to 20%, at a time when securing remunerative returns remains a challenge.
Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister D. Anasuya Seethakka lauded the efforts of the Society for the Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), stating that its initiatives to provide market access for farmers’ produce, reduce the role of middlemen, and economically empower women farmers serve as a model for the country.
The federation has supported small and marginal farmers in accessing better markets by providing aggregation, grading, and supply chain assistance. This has also enabled some growers to export limited quantities of their produce. Hundreds of farmers across the State are reported to have benefited from improved market access and better price realisation.
Women farmhands sort and clean mangoes in Pebbair village of Wanaparthy district.
“I am thankful to SERP for the support that enabled me to export eight crates of Mallika mangoes this season. Though the quantity is small, it shows that farmers like us can now access national and international markets through collective marketing,” said Balakrishna, a mango farmer from Pebbair village in Wanaparthy district.
Be’nishan has established linkages with domestic and international buyers and entered into partnerships with retail chains such as Reliance, Flipkart, Big Basket, Metro Cash & Carry, Waycool, More, Prism, Scoops, Star Bazaar, and Ratnadeep. It has also tied up with agro-processing firms including Plant Lipids, Yellow & Greens, Suguna, Sneha, KJL, and MARS.
Farmer Producer Companies operating under the federation have played a key role in strengthening market access. Veepanagandla FPC, which operates across five mandals, has 370 shareholders and has recorded an annual turnover of ₹1.45 crore. Its business includes crops such as mango, red chillies, custard apple, maize, and red gram. The FPC also generates seasonal employment for around 450 people during the mango season.
Be’nishan provides infrastructure support such as grading and sorting units, segregators, cooling chambers, box packing facilities, transportation, and pre-cooling units. These facilities help maintain quality standards required for export markets.
“The quality of the fruit is critical for securing better prices. If mangoes ooze, they get discoloured, affecting both quality and price,” said N. Rajitha, Chief Operating Officer, SERP.
The federation comprises 84 FPOs, including 65 FPCs and 19 cooperative FPOs, spread across 30 districts, 404 mandals, and 3,072 villages. It covers 6,967 Farmer Producer Groups (FPGs) and has a membership base of 1.09 lakh small and marginal farmers, most of whom are also part of Self-Help Groups (SHGs).