NABARD hosts strategy workshop for FPOs to boost fresh vegetable exports from Odisha

New Delhi: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Government of Odisha, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), and Palladium, recently held a strategy workshop for Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in Mayurbhanj, Odisha.

The event aimed to enhance the export potential of fresh vegetables from Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, and Balasore districts.

Facilitated by Palladium as the Technical Support Unit (TSU) to the Directorate of Horticulture, Odisha, the workshop focused on educating FPOs about export processes and opportunities. A specific goal was set to export okra, bitter gourd, and long beans to Dubai within the next six months. In the past three months, eight FPOs from the region have exported over 86 quintals of mangoes and fresh vegetables to seven countries in the Middle East and Europe, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Ireland, Poland, Qatar, and the UAE.

Dr. Sudhanshu K.K. Mishra, CGM NABARD, highlighted, “Three areas are key to boost export in the state – strengthening supply to meet market demand, adherence to international quality standards, and role of packaging. The markets are demanding, and only good quality produce will fetch remunerative prices. NABARD along with APEDA, Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment and Palladium, will focus on the value-chain development in fruits and vegetables to increase the export of fresh produce from the state.”

Biswajit Behera, Associate Director, Palladium stated, “Facilitating export of fresh produce from Odisha is one of the key focus areas of the state government as it is facilitating cold-chain facilities across the state to boost export from the state. Palladium is working closely with the FPOs in the state to make the farmers market-ready and the FPOs supply-ready.” 

He further added, “Palladium is facilitating multiple stakeholder consultations to develop concrete action plans and roadmap for export. Moreover, the team is working with the Government, APEDA, NABARD and exporters to identify and bridge the gaps in exporting fresh produce from the state.”

Sitakanta Mandal, Regional Manager APEDA emphasized, “Production planning, infrastructure support and training and handholding FPOs is crucial for strengthening supply of fresh produce from FPOs to international markets. To achieve this, we need to adopt a collaborative approach with the key stakeholders. Our next focus would be to conduct a state-level export sensitization workshop to provide technical handholding to FPOs in Odisha on export process and potential.”

The event featured notable speakers, including exporters and representatives from NABARD, APEDA, state and district officials, and Palladium. The inaugural session included addresses from Dr. Sudhanshu K.K. Mishra, CGM NABARD, APEDA’s Regional Head Sitakanta Mandal, Palladium’s Associate Director Biswajit Behera, and representatives from export houses. Mahila Pragati Farmer Producer Company Limited, a successful all-women FPO from Rayagada, shared its success story and plans for diversifying into other commodities for export. The all-women FPO, consisting of over 1,900 members, has recently started exporting mangoes and fresh vegetables.

The workshop marks a significant step in empowering FPOs in Odisha to tap into international markets and enhance their contribution to the state’s agricultural export sector.