In a significant move to enhance capacity building, value-addition and market linkages, about 1,000 coconut farmers from Udumalpet and Madathukulam blocks are coming together to float a ‘coconut producers company.’
The ‘producers' company’ will be first registered under the Company's Act with a stipulated size of 10 farmers with the remaining farmers to be inducted subsequently.
Operational aspects
“We have commenced the initial steps towards floating the company by constituting a committee to discuss the operational aspects and other modalities,” R. Thirumalaisamy, one of the farmers from the region, told The Hindu.
Mr. Thirumalaisamy, who is also the president of the Amaravathi Farmers Club which won the third Best Farmers Club award constituted by Nabard last year, said that the main objective behind constituting the company was to realise optimal value from their produces through utilisation of latest farming practices and marketing of value-added products under a consortium approach.
“Unless the farmers come together as an organisation, it will be difficult in the coming days to sustain economic viability not only for adopting progressive technology but also in using high yielding varieties of farm inputs like seeds/seedlings and fertilizers.
“Due to the present fragmentation of the land holdings, farmers are finding it difficult to go for value-addition of their produces individually,” agrarian community added.
Once the ‘producers' company' was formed, the farmers in the said two blocks are thinking of coming out with value-added products like coconut powder, packaged tender coconut water, and coconut oil.
“We will also be thinking of brands to market the products,” Mr. Thirumalaisamy said.
Initially, the farmers will contribute Rs 1,000 into the company as their share. When the profits come, certain portion of the gains will be shared by the members and the rest will be pooled towards share capital/reserves. The formation of the company will enable the farmers to get assistances from Nabard.
