Women's self help group of Chhattisgarh gets lauded at Fresh India Show 2021

Fresh India Show 2021 was recently held in Delhi in the backdrop of UN’s International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021. The event saw participants from all across the globe, ranging from diplomats to farmers to industrialists to entrepreneurs to policy makers. Fresh India Show’s focus revolved around further strengthening of the avenues for the sustainability of the fresh produce business in the view of the short and long term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The panel discussion on ‘Global Co-operations in Fresh Produce and Food Trade’ was attended by Ambassador Adam Burakowski, Embassy of Republic of Poland, Ambassador Hugo Javier Gobbi, Embassy of the Argentine Republic, Ambassador Farid Mamundzay, Embassy of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Ambassador Marten van den Berg, Embassy of Netherlands, and Ambassador Ali Chegani, Ambassador, Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Marcella, Zuniga Alegria, Trade Commissioner of Prochile, Mark Rosmann, Agricultural Attaché, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Stefan Kessen, Custom Attaché, Embassy of Belgium. The panel was moderated by Amit Lohani, Founder-Director, Forum of Indian Exporters (FIFI).

One of the major highlights of the Fresh India Show was the session on ‘Employment Generation and Prosperity through Horticulture’ which showcased the tremendous work done by a Women's self help group named Maa Danteshwari Papai Utpadak Samiti in the Darbha region of the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh. As part of the session, Ms Richa Prakash Choudhary (IAS), CEO, Zila Parishad, Bastar introduced the Bastar Papaya Project which was launched by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel as part of his government's initiatives to promote horticulture in the Bastar region. The project is backed by the Bastar District Administration as well as the Bastar Kisan Kalyan Sangh (BKKS).

Ms Hemvati Kashyap, Member, Maa Danteshwari Papai Utpadak Samiti was also present on the occasion and communicated with the help of a translator. Ms Kashyap shared the group’s vision to generate an annual income of over 1 crore rupees from the papaya sales. The papaya initiative is a part of ‘Narwa Garwa Ghurwa Badi’ which is the flagship scheme of the government of Chhattisgarh for the farmers aimed at strengthening agriculture and rural economy and making women self-sufficient. These papayas are being grown using advanced techniques using special seeds developed by VNR Seeds Pvt. Ltd.

Sudiip Agarawaal, GM, Business Development, VNR Seeds Pvt. Ltd., who also joined the session touched upon the technical aspects of the papaya cultivation in the Bastar region as part of the initiative. He touched upon the use of special papaya seeds while employing best agronomic practices to produce a hermaphrodite variety of papaya for the Bastar Papaya Project which doesn’t just offer higher yield but also results in uniform-sized, sweet tasting, and juicy papayas of export quality.

Fresh India Show 2021 concluded with the announcement of the Indian Fresh Produce Industry Excellence Awards wherein Maa Danteshwari Papai Utpadak Samiti SHG, Chhattisgarh was acknowledged for its Success Model of SHG for Fruits & Vegetables Famers. Also, Forum of Indian Food Importers (FIFI) was awarded the Industry Leadership Award. Sahyadri Farmers’ Producer Organization was recognized as the Largest Exporter of Grapes. Rise n’ Shine Biotech Pvt. Ltd. was recognized as the Largest Banana Exporter and Fruit Logistics Company. Dr. H.P. Singh, The Founder and Chairperson, Confederation of Horticulture Association of India (CHAI) was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award.