State level buyer-seller meet held for providing better market options to farmers

Ludhiana, August 11, 2023: Social and Transformative Rural Economic Enterprise initiative, HDFC Parivartan and GT Bharat LLP today organized a state level buyer-seller meet to provide better market options to basmati cultivators. The event was attended by eminent figures including Assistant General Manager NABARD  Devinder Kumar along with officials from the GT team. Extending a warm welcome, Manpreet Singh and Kundan Kumar, Managers at Grant Thornton Bharat, threw a light on the firm's mission. Expressing heartfelt gratitude, Rajesh Jain, Director Livelihood at Grant Thornton Bharat, acquainted the audience with the event's intrinsic objectives. 

He said that the Buyer-Seller Meet was being organized with the primary objective of providing market support to farmers and empowering them economically. The event is dedicated to bringing together prominent representatives from the agricultural industry, both from the public and private sectors, to explore avenues for collaboration that can catalyze growth. He further added that the focus will be on strengthening ties between farmer-producer companies and key private players, creating a relationship that can significantly impact the agricultural prosperity of our region.

During this initial buyer-seller meeting, the idea was discussed of assisting small farmers' businesses by grouping them into larger units through their FPOs (Farmer Producer Organizations) in order to gain economies of scale and attract customers such as KRBL Pvt. Ltd., TR Agro, and GEE  Agro Moga, among many others.

Throughout the session, the chairmen and Board of Directors of various FPOs from four districts—Ludhiana, Barnala, Ropar, and Moga—provided briefings about the collective cultivation area and production. They also discussed several opportunities related to future demand and supply for Basmati rice. Additionally, there were sessions on MSME schemes and Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) scheme for the FPCs as well.

He mentioned that the buyer seller meet's purpose of bypassing the intermediaries and creating a direct link between the farmers and buyers was achieved, he added. The tie up would extend for the coming season after demand estimation. 
The efforts of Grant Thornton and HDFC privartan were appreciated by the participants.