Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has launched the UPFPO shakti portal on Sunday as a Kisan Kalyan Mission component at a fair in Gorakhpur.
This portal is the first of its kind in the country that helps farmers at the ground level. The farmer producer organization-centric portal will bring farmers, traders, producers, agriculture, and another allied department to the UP government at one platform.
At the launch, CM yogi Adityanath applauded the efforts of the agriculture department. The department has made tremendous and vigorous efforts to support the farmers and FPOs in the state.
Like in the past, UP has taken pre-eminence in introducing various agriculture reforms. It has now launched the country's first dedicated portal to its farmers, Adityanath announced at the event, which saw a footfall of nearly 3000 farmers.
The UP government aims to expand its farmers' market base and reduce dependency on mandis and agents. The government also wants to facilitate national and interstate trade. The technical team and funding support developed the portal from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The farmers need to upload the necessary documents required by the organization at the portal. Each FPO will have its section that will embrace the details of its members. The portal will keep all information on the FPOs, their core activities, organization structure, and produces.
The farmers can download the UPFPO SHAKTI app on android phones for quick and easy access. It will facilitate a quick solution to any inquiry and dispute.
The Agriculture Minister, Additional chief secretary, and other various state government officials were present at the fair.
The state has 576 FPOs consisting of around 2.15 lakh farmers as of now. Out of these, 471 FPOs have registered themselves on the portal. A farmer will get relevant information for particular subjects about one's village, block, district, or state. The information passes through text, emails, audio/video in a language that farmers can understand.
The portal may play a remarkable role in meeting national objectives, like generating employment, lessen malnutrition and make women powerful, among others.
While access to markets remains a crucial barrier for farmers, access to information about the farmer's production and products is a key barrier for buyers. The portal gives a functional interface between buyers and FPO to engage with each other. This demand-led production will bring transformation in agriculture, said Amit Vatsyayan, Partner, EY.
In the second phase, the other relevant stakeholders will be invited to the portal.
The FPO Shakti portal is the first portal of its kind in the country and a welcome step that will enhance the progress towards better productivity, income, national security, and better quality of life for small-scale producers, especially women.
“We at the Gates Foundation are happy to support the Uttar Pradesh government's vision of combining its agriculture program with the food system, innovative expansion, market combination, and gender mainstreaming, investing in agriculture technologies. It is a pleasure for us to partner with the state on this important event," said Hari Menon, Director, India Office, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
