Products identified for One District, One Product programme

The initiative under the Centre’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat project is expected to increase competitiveness of micro-enterprises

Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) and the Department of Industries have joined hands to implement the One District, One Product programme under the Centre’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat, to create micro-enterprises focussed on local strengths and brand creation.

A baseline study conducted by KAU for the programme has identified produce ranging from mussels to tapioca, coconut oil, and spices for various districts.

KAU sources said a preliminary study of the farm sector in the country had revealed that around 74% of enterprises were in the unorganised sector. The unorganised food processing sector in the country comprises 25 lakh processing units which are unregistered and informal.

With only 7% of the investment in plant and machinery and 3% of outstanding credit, the unorganised enterprises contribute to 74% of employment (a third of which are women), 12% of output, and 27% of value-addition in the food processing sector.

Nearly 66% of these enterprises are located in rural areas, and around 80% of them are family-owned and fall into the category of micro-enterprises and manufacturing units, according to a handout on the programme.

The One District, One Product programme is meant to strengthen the hands of the farming community as well as entrepreneurs. The areas of strength identified by KAU for various districts are: Mussels for Kasaragod, coconut oil for Kannur, milk and milk products for Wayanad, coconut for Kozhikode, coconut-based products for Malappuram, banana for Palakkad, rice for Thrissur, pineapple for Ernakulam, spices for Idukki, coconut oil and coconut powder for Kottayam, paddy and rice products for Alappuzha, banana for Pathanamthitta, tapioca and other tuber crops for Kollam, and tapioca for Thiruvananthapuram.

The programme is based on the understanding that the unorganised micro-food processing units need support for skill training, entrepreneurship, technology, credit, and marketing.

The programme is expected to substantially increase the competitiveness of individual micro-enterprises that are in operation in the unorganised segment and also promote formalisation of the sector, and, at the same time, support farmer producer organisations (FPOs), self-help groups, and producers’ cooperatives.