ICRISAT to launch SPU in Andhra Pradesh to support local FPOs and farmers

Anantapur

Strengthening its efforts to enhance the livelihoods of farmer producers, Walmart Foundation and International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics (ICRISAT) today announced the launch of a Secondary Processing Unit (SPU) at Muddalapuram village in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh.

The facility was inaugurated by Kakani Govardhan Reddy, the Minister for Agriculture and Cooperation, Marketing, Food Processing, Government of Andhra Pradesh. This unit will support farmers from the district with new livelihood and market access opportunities through value-added groundnut, millet, and other nutritious products.

ICRISAT has been working along with its project implementation partner, Accion Fraterna Ecology Centre (AFEC), to accelerate Farmer Producer Organizations’ (FPOs) and smallholder member-farmers’ benefits, through interventions at various levels in the agricultural value chain. These efforts are in line with ICRISAT’s aim to turn dryland farming into a profitable enterprise through improved crop practices, post-harvest management and new food processing opportunities for smallholder farmers.

The SPU launched today is expected to benefit over 6,000 smallholder farmers in Anantapur district. The facility, which has a built-up area of 1,000 square metres, is operated by the women-led Rythu Nestham Food Producer Company Ltd (RNFPCL). RNFPCL was established with support from ICRISAT and AFEC and formed by including farmers from nine FPOs across the eight mandals of the Anantapur district. The facility is equipped with five processing lines, which will produce highly nutritious millet- and pulse-based ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat formulations such as traditional khichdi and upma mixes, high oleic groundnut products — nutrition bars (chikki) — cookies, snacks and savouries, and healthy cold pressed groundnut oil.

Walmart Foundation has a long-term commitment to support FPOs’ capacity building and farmer livelihoods by enhancing yields, which is achieved through improved farm practices, formal market linkages, and overall support for FPOs in their sustainability journeys. The grant to ICRISAT aligns well with this mission and focus.

While launching the facility, Kakani Govardhan Reddy said, “Our government has prioritized making agriculture more viable and profitable for farming communities and has introduced key initiatives such as the development of community-managed sustainable farming initiatives. This women-led food processing unit will boost sustainable farming and market access for local agricultural communities, provide employment to women and youth and create new opportunities for community-managed industry through the development of more food processing units. We congratulate Walmart Foundation, Flipkart, ICRISAT and AFEC on this initiative, and look forward to more such collaborations in the future.”

Nagalakshmi S., Collector and District Magistrate, Ananthapuramu, said, “The entire infrastructure of the unit will ensure improved livelihoods and better opportunities for smallholder farmers.”

Julie Gehrki, Vice President and COO at Walmart Foundation, said, “We are constantly looking for ways to empower our communities. Walmart Foundation’s grant to ICRISAT aims to better support farmers’ incomes while strengthening and diversifying the services of FPOs to deliver benefits to their members.”

Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Flipkart, said, “Beyond Walmart Foundation’s philanthropic programmes in India, Flipkart’s association with FPOs will deepen our commitment to creating shared value across our supply chain and communities, including creating newer avenues towards increasing farmer incomes and helping expand the reach of their products to consumers nationwide.”

Dr Jaqueline d’Arros Hughes, Director General, ICRISAT said, "ICRISAT fosters entrepreneurship by opening new avenues for dryland farmers, particularly women. In partnership with the Walmart Foundation, ICRISAT is helping small-holder farming communities in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh to adopt sustainable farming practices.”

Dr YV Malla Reddy, Director, AFEC, said, “The successful establishment of the SPU complements our efforts towards ensuring sustainable livelihoods of the drought-affected farming communities in Anantapur through the introduction of climate-resilient cropping systems such as intercropping and mixed cropping, where the risk of drought is minimized and further facilitates market access”.