SRINAGAR: During his monthly radio address to the nation, “Mann Ki Baat,” on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the initiative of the District Administration Srinagar to form a Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) associated with lotus stem cultivation in the world-famous Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar district. The lake is known for its delicious lotus stems, known as Nadru in Kashmir, and demand for them is continuously increasing. “About 250 farmers have joined this FPO, and these farmers have started exporting their Nadru to foreign countries,” the PM said. He spoke about this during the 99th episode of his Mann Ki Baat programme on All India Radio, emphasizing the success of the initiative and the positive impact it has had on the livelihoods of the farmers in the region.
The Prime Minister expressed pride in the fact that two consignments of lotus stems cultivated by farmers associated with the newly-formed and promoted Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) in Dal Lake were recently sent to the UAE. “This success has increased the income of hundreds of farmers,” he said. Lotus stem, known as Nadru in Kashmir, is a delicacy found on the table of every Kashmiri home, and its cultivation is done in the various lakes of Kashmir valley, with Dal Lake being the major one in Srinagar. However, farmers in the area have often complained about not receiving a fair price for their harvest due to the lack of market linkages for their produce and the meagre individual produce of the farmers. The formation of the FPO by the District Administration Srinagar has provided a new lease of life to the farmers associated with lotus stem cultivation in Dal Lake.
The Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar, Mohammad Aijaz Asad, recognized the value of Nadroo, also known as Lotus Stem, as a delicacy and met with entrepreneurial farmers to create a blueprint for a Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) in December 2022. The aim was to take advantage of the economy of scale. This FPO, known as ‘Dal Lake Lotus Stem Farmers Producer Company Ltd’, has been registered under the Companies Act and is supported by NABARD under the ‘Central Sector Scheme of formation of FPOs’.
The FPO has already attracted 250 shareholders in the Dal Lake area of Hazratbal and has registered a company-owned brand of hygienically procured and top-graded Nadru for marketing purposes. The FPO is also expanding its business by establishing value addition units of Nadru in the area. With the support of the Department of Agriculture-Kashmir, the FPO recently exported two consignments of Nadru to the UAE, fetching a high price for the producers.
During an onsite visit to the interior areas of the Dal Lake, the Deputy Commissioner Srinagar held an interactive meeting with the farmers and appreciated the business efforts of the FPO, supported by NABARD. He urged the FPO to conduct an economic analysis of their business activities for better profitability. The DC also asked officers of the line departments to identify ways to increase the marketability and value addition of agricultural produce in the district.
The Deputy Commissioner explained that the FPO scheme is an institutional mechanism to reduce the cost of production, increase per unit production, and facilitate better market linkage to enhance the income of farmers. He said that in the future, FPOs like ‘Dal Lake Lotus Stem Farmers Producer Company Ltd’ will be promoted in the district to provide better backward and forward integration in the marketing of agricultural and horticultural produce.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned the initiative of Srinagar District regarding the formation of FPOs, including that of ‘Dal Lake Lotus Stem Farmers Producer Company Ltd’, the DC Srinagar, Mohammad Aijaz Asad, thanked the Prime Minister via his Twitter handle, stating that the Prime Minister’s inspirational and encouraging words would spur entrepreneurship and innovation among the Lotus producing Farmers of the Dal Lake for sustainable Nadroo cultivation.
