A variety of rice were available for sale during the Rice Mahotsav held from February 1 to 6 at Maha FPC yard in Pune, ranging from Indrayani, Ambemohar, and Ghansal from the Western Ghats to black and red rice known for their health benefits.
The festival was organized by Maha Farmers Producer Company (FPC) and NAFED e-Kisan Mandi with the goal of increasing farmers' profits by reducing different expenditures incurred by them in distributing farm goods to customers. According to an official, since the product comes directly from the farm, quality is ensured. The event was attended by FPCs, self-help groups and individual farmers in addition to FPCs.
"When I learned that several Maval farmers were having difficulty selling their rice, this idea struck my mind. We tried to adopt the Business-to-Consumer model with the support of NAFED e-Kisan Mandi, where farmers can make almost twice their monthly revenue," stated Yogesh Thorat, Managing Director, Maha FPC.
“We received commendable footfall. People appreciated our initiative. This can be called a pilot project,” Rahul Godhse, Operations Team, Maha FPC, said.
The festival exhibited products from Aajra FCP (Kolhapur), Raigad Farmers Agricultural Producer, Donu Aaee Krushi Gat (Pune), Aandar Mava FPC (Pune), Ganpat Gangaram Kank (Pune), Jay Malhar Krushi and Organic Rice Producer Gat (Pune), Dhondidev Agro Foods (Kolhapur) and Chouras FPC (Bhandara).
Jyoti Sahane, a customer from Manchar, travelled all the way from Manchar to purchase 250 kg of Indrayani rice.
"Usually, we get low-quality Indrayani or a mixed product. I come from a farming background therefore I can readily see that the product (offered at the festival) is unique. This is a fantastic start, in my opinion. They should have similar fairs more frequently and for a variety of other products," she added.
