CUTTACK: Going beyond subsistence agriculture, women farmers of Kantapada and Niali blocks of Cuttack district have created an identity for themselves, using collective effort to establish a small-scale agribusiness selling various utility products, some of which are being are drawing the crowd at the national-level Pallishree Mela in Balijatra this year.
With the support of state-run Odisha Rural Development & Marketing Society (ORMAS), these women farmers of Prachi Farmer Producer Organisation have this year set up a stall at the Pallishree Mela selling pure cold-pressed mustard oil and different jute products like carry bags, laptop bags, water bottle carrying bags, files, folders and decoratives. The products, being sold at stall no 457 at the fair are a collective effort of around 737 women farmers.
Especially the cold-pressed mustard oil priced at `185 for 500 ml and `360 for a litre, is selling like hot cake. “We have made a business of over `1 lakh in the last two days by selling our products,” said Sarita Parida, a shareholder of Prachi FPO who is managing the stall.
What sets Prachi FPO apart is not ambition but execution. Apart from jute products and mustard oil, these women farmers are also engaged in selling seeds, preparing organic fertilisers and insecticides, and have secured necessary licence from the FSSAI to operate as a legitimate agricultural business.
Joint CEO, ORMAS, Cuttack Bipin Rout said the women farmers also supply essential inputs like onion, coriander, potato and paddy seeds to farmers of their region, filling a critical gap in last-mile access to quality materials. “Their success has been possible through meeting regulatory requirements, building supply chains, and maintaining quality standards,” he added.
Rout further said that access to training, decision-making forums and market linkages have given these farmers an identity beyond their households and more importantly, an income stream they control.
