Operation Greens is a pivotal initiative by the Indian government aimed at stabilizing the supply and pricing of essential vegetables across the nation. The scheme draws inspiration from ‘Operation Flood,’ which transformed India’s dairy industry. Focused on Tomato, Onion, and Potato, collectively known as TOP crops, Operation Greens strives to ensure their consistent availability without the fluctuations in prices that can adversely affect both producers and consumers.
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Understanding Operation Greens
Operation Greens was introduced to tackle the challenges faced by farmers and consumers regarding the TOP crops. These challenges include the perishability of produce, price volatility, and the lack of an organized supply chain. By addressing these issues, the scheme aims to benefit farmers with better returns and consumers with stable prices and steady availability.
Promotion of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs)
A significant aspect of Operation Greens is the promotion of Farmer Producers Organisations. FPOs play a crucial role in organizing farmers, allowing them to pool resources and leverage collective strength. This empowerment leads to improved access to technology, finance, and markets, thereby enhancing incomes and reducing costs.
Enhancement of Agri-Logistics
Agri-logistics are critical for preserving the quality of perishable goods while in transit. Operation Greens places emphasis on developing robust logistics infrastructure, including cold storage facilities, refrigerated transportation, and efficient supply chains. This infrastructure is vital for maintaining the freshness of produce from farm to market, reducing wastage, and ensuring that the produce reaches consumers in optimal condition.
Development of Processing Facilities
To further stabilize prices and reduce waste, Operation Greens promotes the establishment of processing facilities. These facilities enable the conversion of fresh produce into processed products such as purees, concentrates, and dehydrated forms of TOP crops. Processing not only adds value to the produce but also extends its shelf life, thereby mitigating the impact of seasonal oversupply and ensuring year-round availability.
Professional Management Encouragement
The scheme encourages professional management practices across the value chain of TOP crops. By adopting modern management techniques, stakeholders can enhance efficiency, minimize losses, and improve the overall competitiveness of the TOP crop sector. Professional management also includes the implementation of best practices in farming, handling, packaging, and marketing.
Extension to All Fruits and Vegetables (TOTAL)
In a move to bolster self-reliance under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan, the government extended Operation Greens to cover all fruits and vegetables, referred to as TOTAL. This extension, initially for six months on a pilot basis, aimed to replicate the benefits seen in the TOP segment across the broader horticulture sector. It represented a significant step towards transforming the landscape of agricultural marketing in India.
Two-Pronged Strategy for Implementation
Operation Greens is implemented through a two-pronged strategy that includes price stabilization measures and integrated value chain development. Price stabilization efforts involve market interventions to prevent distress sales by farmers during bumper harvests and to ensure consumer access to affordable produce during lean periods. The integrated value chain development focuses on connecting farmers directly to markets, eliminating unnecessary intermediaries, and streamlining the supply chain from production to consumption.
By integrating these strategies, Operation Greens seeks to create a sustainable ecosystem for the production, distribution, and consumption of TOP crops and, by extension, all fruits and vegetables. The initiative represents a comprehensive approach to addressing the inefficiencies in the horticultural market, with the ultimate goal of benefiting both producers and consumers through enhanced food security and economic stability.