To grant market access to Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Self-Help Groups (SHGs), the e-commerce platform Flipkart signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR). Flipkart will offer pan-India market access through this partnership. It will engage with these communities via virtual and on-ground training and capacity-building policies to provide them with an understanding of quality, pricing, and licenses required to be a component of the FPO ecosystem.
ICAR-IIMR will give assistance with infrastructure and necessary approvals to take this partnership ahead. The director of ICAR-IIMR, Dr. CV Ratnavathi said, “IIMR’s vision is to transform subsistence farming of millets into a globally competitive climate resilient Nutri-cereal enterprise. The focus will be on value-addition to meet food, feed, fodder, nutrition, and bio-fuel requirements of the country through millets. Flipkart can strive for the development of India’s farming ecosystem by using technology to offer access to a countrywide market. We aim to prove the operations of small and marginal farmers and FPOs by sharpening their skills and knowledge.”
The Vice President of Flipkart said that the MoU with ICAR-IIMR is a setup towards handholding farming communities to ensure enhanced income and business opportunities. Flipkart has trained over 10,000 farmers across the nation, on product quality and food safety.