Himachal gets first all-woman farmer producer company

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh has registered its first all-woman FPC (farmer producer company) in Solan that will market certified natural produce, making its owners ‘changemakers’ in promoting chemical-free agriculture.
A few years ago, they were the state’s first women to switch to non-chemical, low-cost, and climate-resilient natural farming after being trained under the Himachal Pradesh government’s Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana (PK3Y), which has now transformed their identity from farmers to entrepreneurs.The FPC includes farmers from Jabal Jamrot, Haripur, and Deothi panchayats of Solan district. The Solan Natural Farmer Producer Company has 10 primary shareholders (five directors and five promoters) and 60 more farming women who are ready to join. They offer vegetables, fruits, and milk products.
So far, the state has four FPCs—Chopal, Pachad, and Karsog apart from the all-woman Solan group—for enabling SuSPNF or sustainable food systems platform for natural farming. State project director Naresh Thakur said: “It is a step towards transforming the farmers into entrepreneurs, and it is a good that women are taking the leadership role. We will support them with logistics and technical knowhow.”
Most members of the Solan FPC are matriculates. Chairman Radha Devi (41) said: “A shift to natural farming is the first step in saving agriculture from the chemical inputs that have increased expenditures, stagnated production, and brought on many diseases.”