ROURKELA: She hails from the most backward pocket of Sundargarh district without access to proper education. But that did not deter 38-year-old Basanti Singh from wanting to bring about a change in the lives of farmers with small farm land holdings in her native Jodaloi village under Gurundia block.
Today, she is a change agent and her farmer producer organisation (FPO) has been making agriculture profitable to hundreds of marginal farmers of the district. Her FPO registered as Mahamayee Farmer Producer Company Ltd (MFPCL) has surpassed turnover of about Rs 1.20 crore till February of 2020-21, negating the adverse economic impact of Covid-19 lockdown.
The FPO engaged in procurement and sale of minor forest produces (MFPs) and crops including vegetables and paddy now has about 800 farmers, mostly tribal and disadvantaged women, as shareholders.
Her journey started 16 years back when she formed an SHG - BINA. With the help of NABARD, she founded the FPO in 2016 with herself as the managing director of MFPCL and four other tribal women - Malati Oram, Anita Xess, Santi Singh and Droupadi Singh - as directors.
“We faced loss in the first two years and made nominal profit in the third year. But, turnover of Rs 30 lakh in the fourth year proved to be the turning point for the FPO”, she said.
Basanti said in 11 months of 2020-21, the FPO has made a turnover of about Rs 1.20 core and she hopes to close the financial year with another Rs 10 lakh. She said the FPO has identified a four decimal land to set up its own office building and storage facility.
Despite the pandemic, their FPO worked aggressively to ensure their stakeholder farmers and MPF collectors do not suffer and get good prices for their produces.
“It gives us immense satisfaction to be able to help our people to live with dignity without begging for help”, said Basanti who has also been instrumental in mobilising over 80 farmers to adopt drip irrigation system through term loans and setting up of five cold rooms with a combined capacity of 150 tonnes at strategic locations of the block to store vegetables for longer period.
In early 2020, Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal had also facilitated her at Cuttack for her endeavours. District Development Manager for NABARD Shakti Prasanna Mohapatra described Basanti as a true agent of change.
He said NABARD helped formation of the FPO with registration, return filing and capacity building of members, while NABARD’s subsidiary Nab Kisan granted initial loan of Rs 20 lakh.