KALABURAGI: Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman has urged National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to facilitate wider market access for the Farmers’ Training and Common Facility Centre (FT-CFC) through e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms. She also requested the Yadgir district administration to extend all necessary support to ensure that the platform achieves its full potential.
The Union minister, who inaugurated the Women-Led Agro-Processing Centre and the FT-CFC at Baddepalli in Yadgir district on Thursday, said it is the fifth such centre established under a series of farmer-centric initiatives aimed at strengthening agricultural value chains across the Kalyana Karnataka region.
The centre has been established by NABARD, leveraging the minister’s MPLAD funds, to promote value addition, reduce post-harvest losses, improve market access and create sustainable livelihood opportunities for farmers.
A distinctive feature of the project is that it is being managed by Baddepalli Women Farmers Producer Company Limited, an FPO comprising 727 women members, making it the first women-led agro-processing facility in the region. The centre is expected to serve as a model for women-led rural enterprises by enabling women farmers to participate across the agricultural value chain – from production and processing to branding and marketing.
The minister said she is delighted to inaugurate this agro-processing centre entirely operated by women. Yadgir, one of Karnataka’s youngest districts, continues to face developmental challenges, including low female literacy and multidimensional poverty. Initiatives such as this will help improve incomes, generate employment opportunities and enhance the overall quality of life in the district.
Agriculture is the backbone of Yadgir’s economy, with nearly 75%of the district’s land used for agricultural cultivation. The district produces around 22,500 metric tonnes of groundnuts annually. This facility will enable farmers to convert raw produce into value-added products such as roasted and salted peanuts, peanut butter, groundnut oil and de-oiled cake, thereby improving returns to producers.
