APEDA Collaborated with Odisha's Directorate of Horticulture to Tap Global Markets for FPOs

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and the Directorate of Horticulture with support from Palladium as the technical support unit (TSU) of the Promotion and Stabilization of Farmer Producer Organizations (PSFPO) project joined forces to redefine the market linkage of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in Odisha.

This strategic alliance aims to facilitate the seamless integration of Odisha's premium mango & fresh vegetables produce into international markets, marking a significant milestone in the agricultural landscape of the region. The PSFPO team facilitated the initiative by working closely with the APEDA officials, exporters and FPOs. The team started off by identifying the suitable clusters and FPOs, followed by visiting the FPOs along and facilitating discussions between the FPOs and the buyers. This was followed by creating an action plan and ensuring smooth coordination to facilitate the off take, adhering to quality standards, storage, handling, packaging and transportation and other logistics requirements.

Through the initiative, the state FPOs marked a significant milestone with the first commercial shipment of fresh produce shipped via Biju Pattnaik International Airport (BPIA) on 15th May 2024. With this, 0.75 metric ton of fresh produce have been shipped to Dubai, with an incremental price realization of 20%-30% for the farmers. Out of this, 0.5 MT of the fresh produce was supplied by Madanamohana Farmers Producer Cooperative Society Ltd., an FPO supported by Harsh Trust from Odapada block of Dhenkanal district. Additionally, 1.22 metric tons of Amrapalli mangoes and Dussehri mangoes from the FPO have been exported to Italy, in the last two days achieving a 40% increase in price realization for the farmers.

On this collaboration, Sitakanata Mandal, Regional head, APEDA, said, “This season we wanted to operationalize the supply of fresh produce (fruits and vegetables) to global markets. This has been possible with the partnership with Palladium, the Technical Support Unit under Directorate of Horticulture. We started by identifying the clusters and FPOs to source the fresh produce and the effort culminated in shipment of first commercial shipment of fresh produce shipped via Biju Pattnaik International Airport (BPIA) on 15th May 2024! The efforts put it by the Palladium under Directorate of Horticulture in connecting FPOs of Odisha to the global markets is appreciable.”

While the above marks the beginning export of fresh produce to Dubai and Italy markets, the collaboration has helped create a sustainable market linkage of the FPO with remunerative markets, both domestic and international which have high demand for fresh produce such Mangoes, Okra, Bitter Gourd, and other vegetables through partnerships with exporters and institutional buyers.

“With 800+ FPOs in the state, Odisha has a huge potential for supply of fresh produce to global markets. Palladium works on Marketing System Development (MSD) approach to catalyse income enhancement for the smallholder farmers. Such global market connects initiatives not only boost the confidence of farmer producer organisations from remote parts of the state but also offer opportunities to scale up their supply positions with cost efficient quality control systems in place. Looking forward to connecting more FPOs in Odisha to profitable global markets through sustainable linkages through active participation from the private sector and inclusively transform agribusiness ecosystem in the state of Odisha”, says Biswajit Behera, Associate Director of Palladium.