A tri-partite agreement involves NABARD, EWOK and IIT, Mandi for developing farmer-friendly equipment. Opportunities will be explored for collaboration in areas like Internet of Things in Agriculture, Watershed, and Rural Mart etc.
Indian Institute of Technology Mandi along with the Enabling Women of Kamand (EWOK) Society of IIT Mandi, have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in recent for collaboration on setting up Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh.
The MoA was signed by Dr. Venkata Krishnan, Dean Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy (SRIC), IIT Mandi, Sandhya Menon, Secretary, EWOK Society; and Nilay Kapoor, Chief General Manager, NABARD.
Speaking about the collaboration, Dr. Venkata Krishnan, Dean Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy (SRIC), IIT Mandi, said, “IIT Mandi is pleased to have this collaboration with NABARD. With the recent MoA signed, IIT Mandi and EWOK society will be able to connect and help the community at large in Himachal Pradesh”.
Expressing his views on this collaboration, Nilay Kapoor, Chief General Manager, NABARD, said, “NABARD, Himachal Pradesh Regional Office is delighted to sanction three Farmer Producer Organizations to EWOK and IIT, Mandi. This marks a new beginning for collaboration with prestigious institutes like IIT, Mandi. The Regional Office proposes to sign a tri-partite agreement involving NABARD, EWOK and IIT, Mandi for developing farmer-friendly equipment. In addition, opportunities will be explored for collaboration in areas like Internet of Things in Agriculture, Watershed, and Rural Mart etc. I am sure, our collaboration will go a long way in solving the problems of farmers of the State and achieving the dream of Doubling of Farmers’ Income”.
The MoA signed by the 3 organizations is a result of the brainstorming meetings held between December 2019 and February 2020 to identify the key areas related to farm and non-farm sectors in Himachal Pradesh. As a result, NABARD has sanctioned an amount of Rs. 35 lakhs to IIT Mandi and EWOK Society to promote and setup 3 Farmer Producer Organizations in a period of next 3 years.
The Institute and the Society will be involved in the activities like identifying clusters for setting up the FPOs, creating awareness among farmers, establishing and registering the FPOs, training for Chief Executive Officer and Board of Directors of the FPOs, preparing the business development plan and assisting FPOs in raising credit/ bank loans.
IIT Mandi and EWOK Society share a common vision of helping the society at large by exchanging knowledge and expertise. Apart from setting up the FPOs, other potential areas of collaboration in which the Institute will provide its expertise includes tourism, rural marts run by Self-Help Groups (SHGs), engineering solutions for farm-friendly equipment, research on the impact of climate change on agri incomes, among others.
Speaking about the role of EWOK Society, Sandhya Menon, Secretary, EWOK Society, said, “EWOK has been working with the women and family in the greater Kamand area in both farm and non-farm sectors to encourage women entrepreneurs at grass root level. In the farm related activities, along with IIT Mandi Medicinal Plant lab, some successful pilot programmes have been run for the past 2 years. The support from NABARD has come at the right time in order to scale up these programmes to ensure a sustainable model in income generation for farmers in the long run in this area. In the coming years, EWOK will play its role to form FPOs and guide in building out the FPO business activity and market linkages. Additionally, EWOK will continue to focus on skills development and increasing incomes of the women & families in the surrounding rural areas, especially through entrepreneurship”.
