Hyderabad: Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Dr Danasari Anasuya Seethakka said Telangana mango farmers were gaining access to national and international markets through collective marketing initiatives promoted by the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty.
The initiative gained attention after Balakrishna, a mango farmer from Pebbair village in Wanaparthy district, exported eight crates of Mallika variety mangoes to overseas markets this season.
Officials said the export showed how small and medium farmers benefited from aggregation, grading and organised supply-chain support.
Be’nishan, a federation of Farmer Producer Organisations incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013, facilitated the export.
The federation organised fruit and vegetable marketing and improved market access for Telangana mango farmers and other cultivators.
Telangana mango farmers linked to retail and export markets
SERP officials said Be’nishan connected farmers with domestic and international buyers. The organisation also partnered with retail chains and agro-processing industries.
The federation tied up with Reliance, Flipkart, Big Basket, Metro Cash and Carry, Waycool, More, Prism, Scoops, Star Bazaar and Ratnadeep.
It also partnered with processing companies such as Plant Lipids, Yellow and Greens, Suguna, Sneha, KJL and MARS.
According to SERP, Be’nishan recorded cumulative business worth ₹463 crore through MSP, PSF and PSS procurement mechanisms.
Officials said the figure included ₹151 crore through direct output marketing. Telangana mango farmers and other growers earned an additional 15 to 20 percent income through the model.
Officials completed the procurement process within two hours and settled payments within two days. As a result, small growers faced fewer marketing difficulties.
Telangana mango farmers benefit from Farmer Producer Companies
Traditionally, small farmers struggled to attract large traders because they could not supply truck-load consignments.
Consequently, growers depended on intermediaries and sold produce at lower prices.
Officials said Farmer Producer Companies under Be’nishan solved this problem by aggregating produce from multiple farmers.
Veepanagandla FPC operates across five mandals and currently has 370 shareholders. The company recorded an annual turnover of ₹1.45 crore.
Apart from mangoes, the company also markets red chillies, custard apple, maize and red gram.
The FPC generated seasonal employment for around 450 people during the current mango season.
Telangana mango farmers trained in scientific practices
Be’nishan provided grading and sorting machines, cooling chambers, box packing facilities and transportation support.
Officials said these facilities helped Telangana mango farmers maintain export-quality standards.
“The quality of the fruit is most important to get a better price. If mangoes release ooze, they get discoloured, reducing quality and price,” said SERP Chief Operating Officer Rajitha Nared.
She said farmers were learning scientific harvesting methods such as stem cutting to improve shelf life and reduce disease.
Officials also monitored post-harvest practices such as desapping, which removes sticky latex from mangoes before packing.
According to SERP, workers handpicked and processed every fruit carefully to meet export quality standards.
The Be’nishan Federation currently comprises 84 Farmer Producer Organisations, including 65 Farmer Producer Companies and 19 cooperative FPOs.
The federation operates across 30 districts, 404 mandals and 3,072 villages in Telangana. It covers 6,967 Farmer Producer Groups and 1.09 lakh small and marginal farmers.