Flipkart signs MoU with Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) to enable market access for Farmer Producer Organization and SHGs
- The partnership strengthens Flipkart’s commitment toward FPOs and SHGs; training, and capacity building to enable market access
- Engagement focused on driving shared value and increased income for the FPOs and providing quality produce to millions of customers pan-India
- Flipkart has trained and built capacity for more than 10,000 farmers across India to improve their access to national markets and fuel their growth
Through this partnership, Flipkart aims to empower local farming communities and SHGs by providing pan-India market access to more than 400 million customers on its platform. As part of this collaboration, Flipkart will further engage with these communities through virtual and on-ground training and capacity-building initiatives to provide them with an understanding of the quality, pricing, and licenses required to be a part of the FPO ecosystem. ICAR-IIMR will extend support with infrastructure and necessary approvals to take this partnership forward.
Dr. CV Ratnavathi, Director, ICAR-IIMR, said, “IIMR’s vision is to transform subsistence farming of millets into a globally competitive climate resilient nutri-cereal enterprise through value-addition to meet food, feed, fodder, nutrition and bio-fuel requirements of the country for equitable prosperity through millets. E-commerce platforms like Flipkart can play a pivotal role in the development of India’s farming ecosystem by leveraging the power of technology and the digital medium to provide access to a nationwide market. Through our collaboration with Flipkart, we aim to improve the operations of small and marginal farmers and FPOs by sharpening their skills and knowledge, which, in turn, will boost their economic and social development.”
Speaking at the event Smrithi Ravichandran, Vice President - Grocery, Flipkart, said, “Flipkart is dedicated to creating new avenues of progress for all its stakeholders. The MoU signed with ICAR-IIMR is another step towards our commitment to handhold farming communities and to ensure improved income and business opportunities with adequate knowledge, training, and market access, creating mutual shared value for all stakeholders in Agriculture with a focus on increasing business and trade inclusion opportunities for small and marginal farmers of FPOs. Flipkart has trained over 10,000 farmers across the country, on product quality and food safety. We look forward to creating more such linkages and initiatives for the farming community to help them scale their offerings through technology and e-commerce and help bring rural prosperity.”
