Flipkart Enters MoU With SERP To Help FPOs, SHGs

Flipkart on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP), of the Telangana rural development department, to enable market access for Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the State.

In the presence of Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao, the MoU was exchanged between Sandeep Kumar Sultania, Principal Secretary of the Panchayat Raj & Rural Development department, and Smrithi Ravichandran, Vice-President and Head of Grocery, Flipkart, at an event held in the MCR HRD, Jubilee Hills.

"Through this partnership, Flipkart aims to empower the local farming communities and SHGs of Telangana by providing pan-India market access to them to the 400+ million customers on its platform. As part of this collaboration, Flipkart will directly source premium quality pulses, millets, staples and spices from the local farmers, contributing to improved income and business growth.

"Flipkart will further engage with these communities through virtual and on-ground training, and capacity-building initiatives, to provide them with an understanding of the quality, pricing and licenses required to be a part of the FPO ecosystem. The SERP will extend support with infrastructure and necessary approvals to take this partnership forward," a statement said of the engagement.

Speaking on the occasion, minister Rao said that this first-of-its-kind MoU signed in the country with a credible e-commerce giant such as Flipkart was another milestone contributing to the progress of Telangana. There were about 4,36,000 SHGs consisting of 46 lakhs members in Telangana, and they would now be able to sell their products to pan-India consumers, he gushed.

Principal Secretary Sultania said that with the MoU, the produce of Telangana SHG women and farmers would reach the pan-India market as well as international markets.

"The training, skill development and focus on product standardization will ensure that the products are not limited to B2B partners, but also reach pan-India customers directly. This partnership will give good recognition to the State FPOs, women and SHGs in a big way in the years to come," he said.