District Collector Sumit Kumar addressing a meeting of the Farmer-Producer Organisations in Chittoor on Tuesday.
District Collector Sumit Kumar urged the departments of Agriculture and allied wings to initiate action plans to strengthen the Farmer-Producer Organisations (FPOs) in the district. He presided over a meeting of the district-level monitoring committee at the Collectorate, here on Tuesday.
Mr. Kumar highlighted the benefits for small farmers engaging with FPOs, including improved access to technology, credit, and enhanced marketing facilities, ultimately leading to production of higher-quality goods.
He said that FPOs will play a pivotal role in bolstering economic strength and market integration. “Currently, seventeen FPOs operate under the auspices of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and various other organisations in the district. An upcoming training programme will address the provision of marketing facilities for farmers’ produce, in addition to fertilisers distribution,” he added.
The Collector underlined the plans to raise awareness among FPOs about government schemes offered by the Central and State Agriculture and allied departments, alongside facilitating essential bank assistance to foster their financial development.
“The focus will be on optimising marketing facilities for milk production, vegetables, mangoes, and horticultural crops in Chittoor district, leveraging the existing cold storage infrastructure for crop product storage,” he said.
Mr. Kumar directed District Agriculture Officer to expedite the granting of licenses within the purview of the FPOs. He also reviewed the operations of the seventeen FPOs in the district and the financial support received from NABARD.
Joint Collector Himavanshi, NABARD Assistant General Manager Sunil Kumar, and officials from the Agriculture, Horticulture, and Animal Husbandry wings took part in the meeting.
