Promotion of Taptapani Farmers Producer Organisation for Millet Promotion in Odisha

Summary of the Initiative

A proposal was raised to NABARD to form a formal FPO, the Taptapani Farmer’s Producer Company Limited in Chandiput, a gram panchayat in Mohana block of the tribal dominated Gajapati district of Odisha for millets, maize and vegetable promotion.

Situation before the Initiative

Most of the people in Odisha depend on Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) for their livelihoods. People have recently started the cultivation of maize. Due to their low bargaining power and lesser marketing options they did not get fair price of their produce. This led to the launch of the pilot project for the promotion of an FPO in the year 2014-15 which since then has been handed over to Sahabhagi Vikas Abhiyan (SVA).

Nature of the Initiative

A baseline survey conducted by a local NGO, Social Action For Community Alternative Learning (SACAL) to understand the ground situation showed a grave picture of distress migration of people because of the exploitation by the local traders. Empathizing with the situation, a proposal was raised to NABARD to form a formal FPO, the Taptapani Farmer’s Producer Company Limited.

During the year 2016-17, Government of Odisha decided to take the Mohana Block under the umbrella of Odisha Millets Mission involving a few thousand farmers. Under this programme, the Taptapani FPO was formally recognized by Odisha Millet Mission as a CBO for promotion, marketing and value addition of Millet based products. It has promoted 2500 acres of millet crops through a millets mission program⁷. With this FPO, there has been marked reduction in the cases of migration of labor, with decreased cases of exploitation by local traders, easy and sound access to the marketplace, and good farming inputs (seeds, fertilizers and other farming tools).

Vision

To evolve as a center of excellence in service of its members, shareholders, and the farming households in general to promote their income and livelihoods.

Mission

To enable its shareholders to have a decent income and to have all the basic necessities for a highquality living.

Goal

To promote farmers producer organization for organizing, orienting, sensitizing the farming community for improved agriculture production, value addition and marketing to achieve sustainable livelihood and socio economic development.

Impact of the Initiative

The FPO, as of today, has 699 shareholders with a shared capital of Rs. 6,99,000, maintaining a cash credit limit up to Rs. 5,50,0008. It has its outlets at Luhagudi, Mohana Gobidpur and Chandiput for delivering its services. The FPO is actively engaged in supplying finished millet products to the markets of Bhubaneswar. In the year 2019 it facilitated record procurement of 1400 quintals of Ragi in Gajapati district.

The Taptapani FPO has received the best FPO cash award for the Gajapati district of Government of Odisha through Krushi Odisha Programme. It is also registered with the RMC and has a trading license on millets and maize. Additionally, it is also running a community managed seed centre and custom hiring centre with the requisite farm implements.

Source : State Missions and Initiatives to Promote Millets