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Private Extension & Privatisation

• Private extension refers to the innovative ways that a private agency/ corporate adopts in delivering the information and other input services as desired/ demanded by the farmers.

• Privatisation broadly refers to a process by which the government reduces its role in an activity and encourages private sector to take up these roles.

Privatisation

Through the process of privatisation, extension effectiveness is expected to improve by:

reorienting public sector extension with limited and well focused functions,

more number of extension providers (institutional pluralism) resulting from active encouragement by the public sector to initiate, operate and expand,

Privatisation …..

more private participation leading to the availability of specialised services hitherto not available from the public system

user contributions to extension leading to improved financial sustainability, and

support and control by clients leading to client orientation.

Privatisation can take place broadly in two ways:

• Dismantling

Dismantling of Public sector is not a feasible

option, and no political establishment/

government will ever want to do it for various

reasons.

• Controlled Privatisation However, the second option, i.e. Controlled

privatisation can be a better approach

Private Extension Initiatives

Tata Kisan Sansar Enabling and Empowering Farmers•An initiative of the Tata Group under the auspices of Tata Chemicals to harness the technological prowess for solving India's social and economical problems•Objective in setting up the TKS network is to empower the Indian farmer and support the farming community in creating more value for their produce.

TKS Philosophy:Wealth for the farmers

• The healthy performance of the agriculture sector is vital for the well-being of the entire nation.

• The imperative is for all stakeholders engaged in agri-business is to empower the farmers by enhancing their capability and their sources of income.

• The concept and vision of TKS has evolved over the years and is based on identifying critical needs of the farmer.

• The three most critical needs are access to markets/ retail spaces, credit facilities and information/advice.

• TKS has been pivotal in providing value-added service to farmers, which has helped improve their quality of living.

• The network offers multiple benefits that address a wide range of needs that the farmers experience in their constant struggle towards prosperity and progress.

Tata Kisan Sansar Parivar: Building strong relationships

• A very important aspect of TKS is building relationships with the farmers. This initiative is being advanced through several means.

• The Tata Kisan Sansar Parivar membership is a paid value-added service, where key farmers and opinion leaders are enrolled for the membership through invitation.

• Tata Kisan Sansar Parivar members are provided customised training and accident insurance for the member and his family. The Tata Kisan Sansar Parivar membership currently stands at about 40,000 plus.

Empowerment

•The objective of the Tata Kisan Sansar (TKS) network is to enable and empower the farmer in creating and generating more value for farm produce by providing information on new and improved agronomic practices and by facilitating better and more efficient use of agricultural inputs. •The philosophy behind TKS is to become a change agent for the Indian farming community.

Structure

• TKS functions as a Hub and Spoke model. • Each TKS centre is a franchised retail

outlet and solution provider that caters to about 30-40 villages in the surrounding area.

• The centres are in turn serviced by about 30-odd resource centres (known as Tata Krishi Vikas Kendras or TKVK), with each resource centre looking after 17-18 TKS centres.

Benefits

TKS provides the following • Access to expert advice: There are

more than 60 agronomists available at the hubs to provide advice on crops and farming issues.

• There are more than 150 organisers at the TKS level.

Inputs

TKS centres provide generic as well as store brands of

– Fertilisers: Urea, DAP, MOP, NPK, etc– Specialty fertilisers: Zinc sulphate, boron,

micronutrients, calcium nitrate, organics, water soluble fertilisers

– Seeds: Field crops, vegetable crops– Pesticides: Entire range– Cattlefeed: – Farm implements– Training: In nutrient and pest management

Services

• Soil and water testing• Contract farming• Seed production• Application services• Advisory services

Relationship building

• Farmer membership (individual & group)

• Accident insurance to members• Farmer meets• Crop seminars

M&M Samridhi Centres

• Samriddhi Centers help drive rural prosperity by educating Indian farmers about technological inputs and contemporary solutions to farming issues.

• Samriddhi organizes and delivers a comprehensive range of Agri-related information, equipment, and services all under one roof.

• There are 155 Samriddhi Centers are spread across India.

• They provide insurance products, sell and maintain tractors and

implements, and run productivity demo farms and soil and irrigation water testing facilities. They also deliver knowledge updates on

the weather, crops, eradication of pests and diseases, and mandi (agricultural markets) locations and prices.

• Those with internet access can visit Mahindra Kisan Mitra online (www.mahindrakisanmitra,com) to find a wealth of information that will help them improve their farming practices and plan their crop cycle.

• Kisan Mitra presents the latest information on crops, weather conditions, and soil testing. It also covers financial information from the current commodity prices to agricultural loan schemes, insurance plans, and government policies.

• Farmers can locate cold storage and warehouse facilities, follow global agricultural events, and read other farmers’ success stories.

• Samriddhi India Agri Awards have been instituted to recognize purposeful contributions by individuals and organizations in the field of agriculture.

• To date, more than 150,000 farmers have benefited from the Samriddhi initiative

• Aim to increase that number to 10 million by 2020.

Mahindra ShubhLabh Services

• Established/ De-merged in 2000• Provides farmers with a single source

channel to access all the products, services, and knowledge they need to run productive farms. We’re present at every stage from planting to selling with seed supply, crop care, and fresh produce distribution services.

• Before the planting season, we provide farmers with a portfolio of seeds including cereals, oil seeds, fruits, vegetables and seed potato.

• By supplying high quality seeds before the growing season, we enhance the potential for improved farm productivity in several regions of India.

• During the growing season, we bring farmers an array of products to help them protect their crops and reap high yields.

• Through our wide trade and distribution network, we supply a wide range of crop care inputs including insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, nutrients, biologicals, and plant growth promoters.

• After harvest, we provide distribution services for fresh produce both domestically and abroad.

• Today, we export to numerous retailers in continental Europe, the UK, the Middle East, China and Southeast Asia and import foreign fruit to India.

• Our fresh produce basket includes pomegranates, mangoes, apples, kiwis, and pears.

ITC’s e-Choupal

An initiative of ITC Limited, a large multi business conglomerate in India, to link directly with rural farmers via the Internet for procurement of agricultural and aquaculture products like soybeans, wheat, coffee, and prawns.

Launched in June 2000, 'e-Choupal', has already become the largest initiative among all Internet-based interventions in rural India. 'e-Choupal' services today reach out to over 4 million farmers growing a range of crops - soyabean, coffee, wheat, rice, pulses, shrimp - in over 40,000 villages through 6500 kiosks across ten states (Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Kerela and Tamil Nadu).

Conceived as a more efficient supply chain aimed at delivering value to its customers on a sustainable basis.

The e-Choupal model has been specifically designed to tackle the challenges posed by the unique features of Indian agriculture, characterised by fragmented farms, weak infrastructure and the involvement of numerous intermediaries, among others.

The 'e-Choupal‘ unshackles the potential of Indian farmer who has been trapped in a vicious cycle of

low risk taking ability low investment low productivity weak market orientation low value addition low marginlow risk taking ability