This story is from December 28, 2020

Gujarat firm to add sweetness into lives of 300 Maharajganj farmers

The destiny of 300 Maharajganj farmers, mostly from Vantangia community, is set to change as a Gujarat-based company has signed an MoU with a farmer organisation to buy 400 tons of golden sweet potatoes at 25% higher rate than the market price.
Gujarat firm to add sweetness into lives of 300 Maharajganj farmers
Representative image
GORAKHPUR: The destiny of 300 Maharajganj farmers, mostly from Vantangia community, is set to change as a Gujarat-based company has signed an MoU with a farmer organisation to buy 400 tons of golden sweet potatoes at 25% higher rate than the market price.
The MoU has been signed between the Maharajganj Vantangiya’s FPO ‘Maharajganj Vegetable Producing Company’ and ‘Tuber Foods Private Limited’ of Ahmedabad.
According to the deal, the Gujarat company will buy their produce from the FPO at Rs 25 per kg. About 200 tonnes of golden sweet potato will be delivered by February 2022 and 200 tons by June 2022.
Ram Gulab, director, Maharajganj Vegetable Producing Company, said, “The contract is for selling the produce and not for the land... Contractual farming is a blessing for small farmers like us.”
“The prevailing market rate of golden sweet potato is Rs 15-20 per kg. However, the company is purchasing from us at Rs 25 a kg, which is unbelievable. The company will bear the transportation cost too,” he said.
Gulab said: “I’m glad that small farmers like us won’t be exploited by mediators, who purchase our produce at very low cost.”
On Saturday, Gulab was overjoyed when he received words of appreciation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who told him that he would bring about a revolution in Maharajganj.
In a virtual interaction with farmers during ‘Samwad’ programme while releasing over Rs 18,000 crore to more than nine crore farmers’ families across the country under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme, the PM appreciated Gulab for forming an FPO (farmer producer organisation) with 100 farmers and subsequently taking the number to 300.
Gulab along with team leader Vinod Tiwari and scientist of prosperity rural development foundation Dr RC Chouwdhary and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation managed to make ready more than 100 farmers who grow golden sweet potatoes on 80-acre land. Now, 300 farmers are associated with the FPO.
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