Flipkart inks MoU with Telangana’s SERP to enable market access for FPOs, SHGs

Hyderabad: The products produced by Self-Help Groups and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in the State will now go places as Flipkart signed a MoU with Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), Telangana to enable market access. This is a first of its kind MoU signed by Flipkart with a State government in the country. […]

Hyderabad: The products produced by Self-Help Groups and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in the State will now go places as Flipkart signed a MoU with Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), Telangana to enable market access.

This is a first of its kind MoU signed by Flipkart with a State government in the country. Flipkart will directly source premium quality pulses, millets, staples, and spices from FPOs and SHGs eliminating the role of middlemen.

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With a customer base of 40 crore, Flipkart would be a good platform for the products to be sold online. As a result, the MoU would contribute in improving income and business growth.

Panchayatraj & Rural Development Principal Secretary Sandeep Kumar Sultania exchanged the MoU with Flipkart Vice President and Head of Grocery Smrithi Ravichandran here on Saturday in the presence Panchayatraj Minister E Dayakar Rao.

The SHGs and FPOs in Telangana have been producing high quality products but marketing was a challenge. Most of the products sales were confined to the State limits. This MoU with Flipkart would now provide a national platform, said Sandeep Kumar Sultania.

Addressing on the occasion, Panchayatraj Minister E Dayakar Rao said there are 4,36,000 SHGs consisting of 46 lakh members in the State.

SHGs work hard and make good use of these initiatives to accelerate their development and to grow their businesses. This year, the SHGs and FPOs have been set a target to conduct Rs.500 crore businesses, he said.

Further, the State Government has been extending all support to the SHGs. Last year, Rs.15,000 crore loans were extended to the SHGs across the State and this year efforts were being made to offer Rs.18,000 crore loans without insisting any guarantee, he added.

On its part, Flipkart will engage with these communities through virtual and on-ground training and take up initiatives to provide them with an understanding of the quality, pricing, and licenses required for being a part of the FPO ecosystem. SERP will extend support with infrastructure and necessary approvals to take this partnership forward.

Flipkart Vice president and Head of Grocery Smrithi Ravichandran said the MoU signed with SERP was a step towards commitment to handhold farming communities and SHGs to ensure improved income and business opportunities with adequate knowledge, training, and market access.