GUWAHATI:
A cooperative farmers producer organisation (FPO) in Assam’s Dhubri has paved the way for agricultural exports in the state in particular and the country, in general.
The cooperative, Green Chilli Producer Organization Co-Op Society, recently sent its first ever commercial consignment of 1.5 tonnes of jackfruit and 0.5 tonners of green chillis to Dubai.
Flagging off the consignment, Dhubri deputy commissioner Anbamuthan MP said, “A special day for the agro-economics sector of Dhubri district as well as for entire Assam. With much speculation and relentless efforts of the district administration and farmers, we have been able to export jackfruit and green chilli from Dhubri to Dubai.”
The consignment will be distributed by Lulu Group International through its chain of more than 200 supermarkets and hypermarkets throughout the Gulf countries.
The whole process is coordinated by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).
FPO president, Abdul Kalam Azad, said, “We have been waiting for this day for years. We are trying to export these two agricultural products for last six months. We get Rs 20 per kg of jackfruit and Rs 40 per kg of chilli. This is just a trial run. The rate will be revised later.” The organisation, which has 560 shareholder farmers from Bilashipara and Nayer Alga Development Block area, has produced the exported items and will continue to do so on a weekly basis.
Dhubri district agriculture officer (DAO) Mrigen Swargiary said, “Dhubri produces a lot of agricultural products which has export potential. This chance came at an exhibition in Guwahati organised by APEDA, where our FPO members first met the Lulu Group International representative. I hope we can make other agricultural products ready for export soon.”
The FPO has been promoted by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).
Lulu Group International general manager, Ravi Kumar, who came from Mumbai to supervise the export programme, said that if they get sufficient customers of these two products, they will continue to export from Dhubri.