Innoterra, an Indo-Swiss food and technology platform, has worked with Konkan farmers' cooperatives to offer premium GI-tagged alphonso mangoes to consumers in both domestic and international markets this season.
To establish a farmer-owned enterprise, Innoterra signed two MoUs with Devgad Taluka Amba Utpadak Sahakari Sanstha Ltd and Pawas Parisar Amba Utpadak Sangh.
Innoterra expects to offer roughly 3,000 tonnes of completely traceable premium quality Alphonso mangoes to customers in domestic and international markets as a result of this relationship. Innoterra stated in a statement that the farmer cooperatives and the company plan to invest $ 1 million in the initial phase of their relationship.
GI-Tagged Alphonso
This groundbreaking initiative aims to maximize the value of the GI-tagged fruit for farmers while also increasing consumer awareness of the genuine Konkan Alphonso mango. Farmers will also have access to Innoterra's 360-degree services platform, which allows for high-density planting, farming protocols, orchard replanting, input provision, financial inclusion, and farmer training. The programme will make use of the Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board's (MSAMB) pack houses and other facilities, as well as technical assistance from D. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli.
Through its relationship with the Konkan Alphonso Mango Producers and Sellers Cooperative Association, led by Vivek Bhide, a major farmer promoter of the GI programme for Alphonso, Innoterra has already successfully pioneered traceability in the alphonso mango.
"Through this agreement, we hope to create a single farmer-owned firm with a globally known brand for Alphonso from the Konkan region as a premium fruit. Farming services and post-harvest interventions will address major challenges in the sector, such as Alphonso's quality and marketability,” said Mukesh Khandelwal, Innoterra's Chief Innovation Officer.
"While Konkan Alphonso has the GI tag, other similar-looking mangoes coming from other locations may be sold as Alphonso," stated Sunil Pawar, MD of MSAMB. This not only tarnishes Alphonso's brand, but it also eats into Konkan farmers' profit margins. Farmers will be able to build Alphonso's global brand and change from price takers to price-setters with the help of a farmer-owned marketing organization."
"Small farmers do not obtain appropriate value for their Alphonso crop- they rely on commission agents to sell the product and do not have the resources for good branding and marketing," stated Ajit Gogate, Chairperson, Devgad Cooperative. To establish this farmer-owned marketing and distribution organization, Devgad Cooperative has teamed up with Alphonso farmers from other parts of Konkan and Innoterra.
This enterprise will boost Konkan farmers' bargaining power by providing them with traceability, marketing, and branding services, as well as enforcing the Konkan farmers' GI-protected right to exclusive use of the word ‘Alphonso.’
"The Pawas Cooperative strongly supports our proposal to establish a farmer-owned enterprise," stated Pradeep Sawant, Chairperson of the Pawas Cooperative. Farmers will be able to better develop premium domestic and export markets for the fruit as a result of this initiative, consumers all over the world will be able to taste the true flavour and quality of genuine Alphonso, and the country will realize the enormous potential of the world's most delicious fruit.
