Agriculture & Rural Development: Rural Connect 2022
Rural Connect 2022 - 22nd & 23rd February 2022
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Day 1 - 22nd February 2022
Day 2 - 23rd February 2022
The Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry
organized its Annual Rural Conclave - Rural Connect
2022 on 22nd & 23rd February 2022. The objective of
the programme is to create a comprehensive platform
to deliberations on policy perspective, market
opportunities, technology driven platform for rural
and agro produce, and innovative financing options
for Indian rural market stakeholders'. The conclave
was attended by the eminent personalities from
agriculture, rural, finance and technology sector.
The inaugural session was graced by Shri Sobhandeb
Chattopadhyay, Hon'ble Minister-In-Charge,
Department of Agriculture, Government of West
Bengal, Dr A R Khan, Chief General Manager, NABARD,
Dr Sudip Kumar Chakrabarti, Hon'ble Vice Chancellor,
Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya and the Father of
Indian Rural Marketing, Mr. Pradip Kashyap, Founder,
MART.
In his remarks, the Hon'ble Minister-in-Charge, Shri
Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, mentioned the achievements
of the State Government in the field of agriculture.
He also noted that the state government is
emphasizing market-driven agriculture rather than
production-driven agriculture at the moment. The
Hon'ble Minister-in-Charge further highlighted that
the West Bengal government launched the Bangla
Shasya Bima Yojana to help farmers by covering their
insurance premiums in the event of crop failure due
to unforeseen reasons. It is a fully funded state
programme that provides crop insurance compensation
to impacted farmers as soon as feasible. He also
cited a number of initiatives spearheaded by the
state government, including:
▪ 1,845 Custom Hiring Centre established in last
decade with 40% Government subsidy
▪ Mechanical Paddy Transplanter introduced -
economical tool for Paddy growers
▪ Rs. 732.93 crore (USD 98.1 Mn) subsidy provided to
farmers till 2020-21
▪ State of the Art training centre on farm
operations named as Matignatha
▪ Farm power increased from 1.37 KW/ha to 2.21 KW/ha
in the last decade
▪ West Bengal has a cold storage capacity of 7.98
MMT, largest in East, Northeast and second largest
in India
▪ There are 576 cold storages in the State, which is
fifth largest (in number) in the country
▪ The State has one of the lowest cold storage
rentals and one of the lowest warehousing storage
rates per month
▪ 186 Krishak Bazars (Farmers Markets) have already
been set up in the state
▪ Sufal Bangla a direct marketing initiative,
connects farmers in groups like FPO/FPC to the
consumers directly was launched in 2014
▪ Livestock in West Bengal is estimated at around
3.74 crore (37.4 million). The state ranks first in
the country in cattle population and, notably,
operates a well-functioning beef sector.
▪ West Bengal is the 9th largest dairy market in
India, with a production of 16.9 million litres of
milk per day. However, with a daily shortage of 13.3
lakh (1.33 million) litres per day, the state caters
to 93% of the indigenous demand.
▪ The state has self-sufficiency in poultry meat
production; a fair share of this indigenous
production is exported to Bihar, Jharkhand and other
north-eastern states.
▪ Egg production in West Bengal has risen by a
whopping 162% over the past decade (2010-20) and is
estimated to be at 1,203 crore (12.03 billion) per
annum. However, this production caters to 84% of
indigenous demand resulting in daily import
requirement of 60 to 65 lakh (6-6.5 million) eggs
from other states.
Dr. A R Khan, NABARD's Chief General Manager,
explicitly emphasised Geographical Identification of
Rural and Agro Produce, and stated that NABARD is
eager to promote GI products from the eastern region
of the country in his remarks. Dr. Khan further said
that NABARD might assist with any GI product
promotion research, study, or seminars/conferences.
NABARD is also planning to organize exhibition and
fair for only GI tagged product from West Bengal.
Hon'ble Vice-Chancellor of Uttar Banga Krishi
Viswavidyalaya, Dr. Sudip Kumar Chakrabarti, spoke
about the university's entrepreneurial programme for
fresh agriculture graduates. In his remarks, he also
noted the potential of exports from North Bengal and
how this new avenue may boost the region's
socio-economic activity.
Mr Pradip Kashyap, the Father of Indian Rural
Marketing and Founder of MART, spoke about his three
decades of experience in the Indian rural market. Mr
Kashyap also cited the untapped potential of the
Indian rural market and its stakeholders in his
deliberation. He also discussed how the rural sector
contributes to India's GDP and how this market may
aid the country's economic growth.
The Inaugural Session will be concluded by Mr.
Jayanta Chakraborty, Chairperson - Agriculture and
Rural Development Committee, The Bengal Chamber of
Commerce & Industry.
Followed by the inaugural session, the conclave also
organized the following sessions:
♦ CEO's ROUNDTABLE ON "VISION 2030 - India's Rural
Market Competitiveness and Opportunities"
♦ Indian Agriculture 2030 - Opportunities,
Challenges and Innovation
♦ Global Value Chains And Agriculture - Connecting
Producers To Consumers
The session on CEO's ROUNDTABLE ON "VISION 2030 -
India's Rural Market Competitiveness and
Opportunities" was graced by Mr. Jayen Mehta, Chief
Operating Officer, AMUL(GCMMF), Mr G K Venugopal,
India Business Head , Indofil Industries Limited ,
Mr. Ramkrishna Mudholkar, Former President, DuPont
South Asia. The session was moderated by Mr.
Hemendra Mathur, Venture Capitalist, Bharat
Innovation Fund. After this session, A fireside Chat
Session was organized between Mr. Ram Kaundinya,
Director General, FSII and Mr. Jayanta Chakraborty,
Chairperson, Agriculture and Rural Development
Committee, The Bengal Chamber and Senior General
Manager, Indofil Industries Limited on "Indian
Agriculture 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges and
Innovation".
Followed by this session, a panel discussion
organized on Global Value Chains and Agriculture -
Connecting Producers To Consumers. The panel
discussion was attended by Mr. Pratap Bose, General
Manager, Pepsi-Co, Mr. Azhar Phatan, Business Head -
Banana, Mahindra Agri Solutions Ltd Mr. Tapas Konar,
Chief Executive Officer, Ramnagar Seed Farm Private
Limited. The DAY 1 of Rural Connect concluded with
this session.
On Day 2, the conclave began with a very interesting
Fireside Chat Session with Mr. Challa Sreenivasulu
Setty, Managing Director, State Bank of India on
Indian Rural and Agriculture Market Competiveness -
Vision of India's Largest Bank with Mr. Ambarish
Dasgupta, Former President, The Bengal Chamber and
Founder & Senior Partner - Intueri Consulting LLP on
Indian Rural and Agriculture Market Competiveness -
Vision of India's Large Mr. Ambarish Dasgupta, the
Managing Director of State Bank of India, outlined a
few major initiatives undertaken by the bank in his
conversation with him:
▪ Since its inception in 1998, the State Bank's
Kisan Credit Card has been a lifeline for farmers.
In addition, the bank has launched loan products for
Self Help Groups (SHGs), Asset-Backed Agri Loans,
Tractor & Farm Mechanisation Loans, Loans Against
Gold Ornaments, and Loans for Investment Activities
such as Dairy, Poultry, Goatery, Piggery,
Horticulture, and so on.
▪ The Bank is financing loans for agriculture
infrastructure under the Aatma Nirbhar Bharat
programmes, in keeping with the Government of
India's objective of doubling farmers' income.
Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs)/ Farmer Producer
Organizations (FPOs), which will be the future of
agriculture, have also been given financial
facilities.
▪ They have started Co-Lending with NBFCs /
NBFC-MFIs to reach diversified geographical areas to
support Agri and allied activities.
▪ In this digital age, State Bank is looking into
partnering with Agri-tech firms to supply farmers
with technology enablers with integrated, fast, and
efficient finance.
▪ Further their YONO Krishi mobile app, a one stop
solution for all needs of farmers, offers market
linkage to farmers, latest updates in Agriculture
space, end to end digitised loan to dairy farmers,
review of KCC loans and Agri Gold loans.
Following this engaging fireside talk, a panel
discussion on "Market Connect - Tech & Finance
Driven Marketing Strategies" was held. Mr. Ranadeep
Das, CEO & Director, InGreens, Mr. Deepak Kalia,
Senior Vice President, Growth & Strategy, DeHaat,
and Mr. Hemendra Mathur, Venture Capitalist, Bharat
Innovation Fund, were all present at the panel
discussion.
Following the panel discussion, Mr. Sachin Sharma,
Vice-President and Head - Channel & Dairy
Operations, ITC Limited, and Mr. Jayanta
Chakraborty, Chairperson, Agriculture and Rural
Development Committee, The Bengal Chamber and Senior
General Manager, Indofil Industries Limited, held a
Fire Side Chat Session on "Defining New Age Farming
Through Climate Smart Agriculture."
A panel discussion on Geographical Identification Of
Rural Products: A Marketing Stance To Create A
Better Business Model followed this session. Mr.
Abhilash Gorhe, Technical Expert - Quality Council
of India (QCI); Secretary, Avocado India; and Chief
Consultant - Samrudhhi Exchange and Ms. Suprava
Mallick, Consultant, APEDA; were present in the
panel discussion.
The Rural Connect was attended by various rural
stakeholders including corporates, FPOs, Government
organizations and many others.
Welcome Address by Mr. Jayanta Chakraborty, Chairperson, Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, The Bengal Chamber and Senior General Manager, Indofil Industries Limited
Inaugural Address by Shri Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, Minister-In-Charge, Department of Agriculture, Government Of West Bengal
Panel Discussion on CEO's ROUNDTABLE ON "VISION 2030 - India's Rural Market Competitiveness and Opportunities"
Fireside chat session on "Indian Agriculture 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges and Innovation" between Mr. Ram Kaundinya, Director General, FSII and Mr. Jayanta Chakraborty, Chairperson, Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, The Bengal Chamber and Senior General Manager, Indofil Industries Limited
Fireside Chat Session with Mr. Challa Sreenivasulu Setty, Managing Director, State Bank of India on Indian Rural and Agriculture Market Competiveness - Vision of India's Largest Bank with Mr. Ambarish Dasgupta, Former President, The Bengal Chamber and Founder & Senior Partner - Intueri Consulting LLP
