Under the Jharkhand Opportunities for Harnessing Rural Growth (JOHAR) initiative, the Johar Agri Mart is empowering women farmers by providing technical assistance and high-quality goods at affordable costs.
"Johar Agri Mart not only assists women farmers in becoming self-sufficient, but also offers them sophisticated agricultural equipment. Work is being done under this effort to alleviate the challenges that women farmers confront and to equip them with farming tools and supplies. "At the moment, there are 25 Johar Agri Marts operating throughout 24 districts of the state," stated a Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society official (JSLPS).
Agriculture-related supplies and services are offered at reasonable costs to both women farmers and ordinary farmers who are members of producer groups.
Farmers benefit from this initiative by getting not only agricultural supplies like high-quality fertilisers, seeds, and pesticides at minimal prices, but also soil testing, weather information, agriculture machinery, and other innovative farming equipment.
"With Johar Agri Mart, farmers just have to go a short distance to receive supplies, and they can get high-quality fertilisers, seeds, pesticides, DAP, and urea at a 10% discount over the local market." "Its performance may be measured by the Rs 12 crore in revenue it generated in a year," the official said.
The Johar Agri Mart initiative has assisted more than 35,000 women farmers.
Farmers are linked to technical consultants through WhatsApp groups under the Johar Agri Mart. Farmers receive daily solutions to their queries and difficulties through these groups between 10.30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Local Aajeevika Krishak Mitras (AKM) and farmers get vital recommendations and solutions through the Whatsapp group.
With the support of Johar Agri Mart, Gayatri Devi of Ranchi's Ranichacho village in the Chanho Block has been practising advanced farming and learning new agricultural practices.
"We are able to experience an improvement in crop quality and production by learning the necessity of applying the proper pesticide in the right amount by joining the Johar Agri Mart through the producer group," Gayatri added.
Gayatri now grows vegetables all year round, primarily cauliflower. They are acquiring excellent quality seeds, fertilisers, and other items as a consequence of Agri Mart's business in the area, and their production is fetching good rates in the local market and being exported to other neighbouring states.
Manish Ranjan, the secretary for rural development of Jharkhand, remarked that women from producer groups gain significantly from the Johar Project's Agri Marts.
"The availability of agricultural products is helping to boost productivity. "The Agri Marts have set a business objective of 15 crores for the approaching Kharif season," Manish Ranjan stated.
"Johar AgriMart is an effort to empower women farmers by providing all necessary knowledge and equipment in one place. Suraj Kumar, chief executive officer of JSLPS, stated, "We will be striving for its expansion."
