Assam Governor attends Tarang; A state-level mela for FPOs

Requests producers’ organizations to align their products with market demands

GUWAHATI: Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria attended the valedictory session of "Tarang-Celebrating Collectivization,"  a state-level fair for FPOs (Farmers' Producers Organisations) at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati, today.

It may be noted that the three day fair started on March 1 and concluded on March 3, which saw the participation of nearly 40 FPOs from the North Eastern States and West Bengal. The fair was organised by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), the Assam Regional Office in association with the Small Farmers' Agri Business Consortium (SFAC), and the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).

Speaking on the occasion, Governor Kataria appreciated the efforts of NABARD, SFAC, and ONDC for coming together to provide farmers from Assam, the North Eastern States, and West Bengal platforms for showcasing the farmers' and agripreneurs' products and augmenting their market linkages. He urged the participants to utilise the platform for the benefit of their organizations by leveraging their reach to every nook and corner of the nation. He also asked the participants to understand the preferences of urban consumers by using e-marketing platforms and improve their product quality accordingly.

The Governor also congratulated NABARD Assam for proactively encouraging the farmers to establish millet footprints through strengthening the millet value chain in Assam. He also thanked NABARD for its patronage in supporting the development of a new brand of millet titled "Inglong" from Amri Block of West Karbi Anglong district of Assam. He said, "I am happy with the fact that the Mela has been organized with the aim of providing the participants with exposure to urban consumers, assessing market demands, and assessing consumer preferences for improving their products. It is heartening to see that major FPOs from across the North East participated in this fair, displaying a wide range of their exquisite products. This fair has given the visitors the opportunity to taste and experience the essence of natural products."

Stating agriculture's contribution to the growth of the nation, the governor said that India has about 3 percent of global land and less than 5 percent of the world's water resources. But it supports about 20 percent of the global population and over 15 percent of livestock. India is also one of the largest agrarian economies in the world and among the largest producers of rice, wheat, sugar, cotton, some spices, fruits, and vegetables. The governor, moreover, said that the food productivity level of the country has to be enhanced through scientific breakthroughs, better techniques, and innovations. The scientific innovations are to be effectively channelled to the end-users, the governor added.

It may be mentioned that NABARD has been supporting various marketing events for developing marketing opportunities for the rural producers and artisans with the objective of enabling the farmer producer organisations not only to "sell" the products but to "market their products to end users and benefit directly from the market. This is the maiden step of NABARD, with 50 such melas, which are being organised across the country exclusively for the benefit of FPOs and OFPOs with specialised support from ONDC.  The governor also visited the stalls put up in the fair and interacted with the participants.

GM/OIC, NABARD Assam Nabin Kumar Roy, GM, State Bank of India, D.C. Bal, Zonal Manager, Union Bank, Prabhat Kumar, Chairman, Assam Gramin Vikas Bank, D. Gangopadhyay, and a host of other dignitaries were present on the occasion, a press release said.

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