‘Agri areas of Varanasi dev blocks have potential of being export hub’

VARANASI : Chief General Manager, agricultural and processed food products export development authority (APEDA), CB Singh on Saturday said that agricultural areas in developmental block Sevapuri and Badagaon have the potential of being a hub for exports of agro commodities, especially of vegetable and famed Banarasi fruits like mangoes and guava.

On Friday, Singh along with ASYAD official- a global logistics group from Oman- visited the field and farms in Sewapuri and Badagaon blocks. The

APEDA Varanasi project office organized the meeting of all concerned stakeholders and member farmers of the FPOs and Kanhaiya Singh, president of progressive research organizationan agency working for NABARD in nurturing and creation of FPOs.

After paying the visit, Singh said, “The initiatives from the centre, state government and mainly the agency like APEDA have opened the gates of bigger trade and potentials for the local farmers. The efficient coordination and collectivization under produce companies mark a new beginning in the area.” He said that the collective of farmers has shown better planning in sowing of crops, their life cycle requirement and reaping the final output and trading it to better avenues with bulk and sustainable produce. The farmers interest group (FIG) under progressive farmers in villages is finally collectivized under the FPOs.

He said that in each village the leader farmer of FIG leads the team to fields under their cluster, where the crop quality and requirement of the exporters were discussed and both the FPOs have demands of December for shipment to Oman. The team also gave its demand for microorganisms enriched vermicompost in form of garden fertilizer packets.