Sustainable vegetable marketing: ICAR lauds success story of Sonamukhi SHG

kolkata: The success story of Self Helf Groups (SHGs) at Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Sonamukhi, in Bankura district under state Panchayats and Rural Development (P&RD) department has been published in the annual report of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), for 2020.

The SHGs contribution has been acknowledged in value chain management for sustainable vegetable marketing during Covid situation in 2020. During Covid-19 pandemic, the vegetable price and demand both were very low at Sonamukhi local market, but at Kolkata local market, the price was very high. West Bengal Comprehensive Area Development Corporation (CADC) and KVK Sonamukhi came up with a marketing channel approach with the main objective to abolish middleman activity during that time.

In a joint activity, CADC along with KVK Sonamukhi, Bankura collected all the vegetables from SHGs on weekly basis and sold it at Kolkata.

"Dihipara Monalisa Mahila Swanirvar Dal" a SHG of Sonamukhi, Bankura which was involved actively in the initiative received different improved vegetable seeds and seedlings from CADC's KVK Sonamukhi along with various skill development trainings on nutrition garden, nutri thali and organic farming. This facilitated production of a variety of fresh vegetables on farms and subsequent marketing. CADC and KVK Bankura provided refrigerated and insulated toto rickshaw to the SHG so that they can supply fresh product to consumers' doorstep and abolish the middlemen.

The value chain management has enabled the farmers to get reasonable prices for their vegetables. According to the SHG members, the price of the vegetables provided by the institutions was much higher than the local market.

"The shift from only production to production and marketing approach has been established to be sustainable. This is one kind of supply driver approach too. Because when the market and remuneration price is assured, automatically the production gets a hike in quantity as well as quality, "a senior CADC official said.

Soumyajit Das, administrative secretary of CADC said it was a matter of great pride to get recognition of good work from ICAR, which happens to be the largest network of agricultural research and educational institutes in the world.