The Uttar Pradesh Agricultural Produce Marketing Board (Mandi Parishad) is likely to ink an MoU with the Indian Institute of Managament-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) soon for not only providing city dwellers the unique experience of buying branded organic vegetables from a hi-tech air-conditioned push-cart right on their doorstep but also making homegrown veggies and fruits easily available in international vegetable marts.
To be started in Lucknow and its adjoining villages on a pilot basis, the project would soon spread its wings in other cities of the state. Speaking to FE, Mandi Parishad director, Rajesh Singh said that the state has a rich agricultural base and in order to make the most of it, the Mandi Parishad is in talks with the IIM-A to make the best use of this asset and hike agri exports from the state, apart from catering to the domestic requirements.
?As of now, we are only able to export mangoes to a few East Asian countries as specifications for exporting agro products to the European and US markets are very stringent. What we are trying to achieve with the help of the IIM-A is to grow vegetables and fruits as per international standards and implement the same stringent specifications that they use so that we are able to increase out presence in those markets?, said Kumar.
Presently, mangoes from Uttar Pradesh are being exported to Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai and Japan was added to the list from last year. ?We are trying to work out a partnership with the farmers wherein they will form a federation and t he farmers will be asked to divide their agricultural land into two parts. While in one part they can continue with their regular vegetable crops for domestic consumption, in the other part they will grow vegetables as per specifications of the international market??, explained Rajesh Kumar, Director Mandi Parishad, the nodal agency to provide logistic support to the project.
The Mandi Parishad has sanctioned Rs 49 lakh for the project and PK Sinha, chairman of the Centre of Retailing IIM-A, along with the topper of the 2007 batch from IIM-A, Kaushalendra Prasad, the brain behind the hi-tech air-conditioned pushcart, have finished the baseline survey on the basis of which they are trying to evolve a business model for Lucknow. ?We are also trying to establish the infrastructure necessary to cater to the global standards. Apart from the cold chain, we also have to make sure our products are graded and value added to meet export standards,? Kaushalendra said on phone from Patna.
