Bhubaneswar: NABARD, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Govt. of Odisha, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Palladium organized a strategy workshop in Mayurbhanj of Odisha for Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) on exporting fresh vegetables from Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, and Balasore districts in the north zone of the state.
Facilitated by Palladium as a Technical Support Unit (TSU) to the Directorate of Horticulture, Odisha, the event aimed to enhance the export potential of fresh vegetables from the region.
The workshop focused on educating FPOs about the processes and opportunities in the export market, with a specific goal of exporting okra, bitter gourd, and long beans to Dubai within the next six months, as per the demand.
In the last three months, for the first time, eight FPOs exported over 86 quintals of mangoes and fresh vegetables to seven countries in the Middle East and Europe – United Kingdom, Italy, Ireland, Poland, Qatar and UAE.
Many esteemed speakers, including exporters, representatives from NABARD, APEDA, and State and district officials from the department and Palladium graced the event.
The inaugural session included opening remarks and special addresses from dignitaries, followed by informative sessions led by Dr Sudhanshu K.K. Mishra (CGM NABARD), APEDA’s Regional Head, Sitakanta Mandal, Palladium’s Associate Director, Biswajit Behera and representatives from export houses.
The workshop saw an active interaction of representatives from FPOs with other stakeholders. Mahila Pragati Farmer Producer Company Limited, a successful FPO from Rayagada, presented its success story and the plan for diversifying into other commodities for export. The all-women FPO with over 1900 members has recently been exporting mangoes and fresh vegetables.
