SPADE Promotes FPOs

Formation of Common Interest Groups (CIGs) and Producers’ Organization under LEDP

Introduction: SPADE, Kolkata with financial support from NABARD, RO Kolkata implemented the Livelihood and Enterprise Development Programme (LEDP) at Gopalnagar Gram Panchayat under Manbazar – I Block, Purulia district. SPADE, since 16th May 2012, was promoting Women SHGs under SHPI Project at Manbazar-I Block along with other 18 Blocks and has promoted 1863 WSHGs across the district including 158 WSHGs at Manbazar – 1 Block. During the process of delivering handholding support on livelihood facilitation, SPADE has noticed that goat rearing was the prime livelihood of SHG members at Manbazar-I Block and the SHG members also approached SPADE to initiate intensive trainings on goat rearing with backward and forward linkage supports for generating a sustainable income. Accordingly, SPADE, with financial support from NABARD, RO Kolkata implemented this LEDP.

Project objectives: The objectives of the Project was to support the SHG members through intensive training on goat rearing followed by formation of Producers Organisation so that the beneficiaries could access the backward and forward linkage support for sustainable income.

Target group: 150-SHG members

Project area: The beneficiaries were selected from six villages, viz, Jabla, Metalya, Ghastoria, Borabon, Mourangdih, Jamgoria of Gopalnagar GP under Manbazar – I Block, Purulia district

Project period: November 2018 – October 2019

Formation of CIGs and PO

One of the major objectives of the LEDP is to graduate the producers in a cluster so that they could ultimately be nurtured into Producers Groups of goat and other livestock. Accordingly, SPADE formed 5-Nos. of village level Common Interested Groups (CIGs) with 30-beneficiaries in each of them. These CIGs are finally federated into Producers’ Organisation owned and managed by the beneficiaries themselves. Initially, it will be registered under WB Societies Registration Act. After examining the viability after one year, it may be registered under the Companies’ Act. The Jabla Goat Farmers Producers’ Organisation has been formed on 17th December 2019 after taking a resolution.

The PO will function as a Catalyst on the following lines:

To support the beneficiaries with quality breeds and input supports (like, quality breeds, feed, fodder, medicines and vaccinations, etc.),
To tie up with BLDO for skill up-gradation support, vaccination camps, goat supply, and other Govt. Supports,
To assist the SHGs for making business plans,
To link the SHGs with Bank for higher dose of cash credit support,
To tie up with local Taltala, Challa wholesale markets, BLDO office, local festivals for meat marketing and goat supply, and
Other supports as and when requires.

SHG member becomes entrepreneur through LEDP Project

“The Goat Rearing Promotional project of SPADE has turned me from a mere housewife to a micro entrepreneur” – said Srimati Baskey, a 25 year old housewife of Barabon village under Manbazar-I Block of Purulia district. She passed Higher Secondary Examination but could not continue her education any more due to severe poverty. Her husband is an agricultural labour but could not earn sufficient to support the family budget. She has two children and both are continuing education.

When SPADE started its interventions at Barabon village through WSHG Project of NABARD, she joined the SHG and formed “Barabon Jugjiar Tirla Samity” and opened savings account at BGVB Gopalnagar branch on 18th June 2015. After few months, her group got credit support from Bank and she started goat rearing in a small scale adopting traditional methods. But she had the zeal to scale up her business for a model goat rearing unit. In the meantime, in December 2018, SPADE started baseline survey for selecting beneficiaries for its LEDP Project sponsored by NABARD where Srimati expressed her interest to join in this livelihood programme. Gradually, she undergone 7-days intensive skill training on goat rearing followed by regular handholding support from Master Trainer of SPADE.

She applied the modern goat rearing practices including housekeeping in a hygienic condition, grower feed, on time vaccination, de-warming, etc. to increase the growth of goats. Apart from skill trainings, her group was also capacitated on regular Panchsutra practice and operation of cash credit loan.

Seeing her zeal, knowledge level, communication skill and commitment in the project, easily she was identified as a Community Resource Person (CRP) – LEDP for promotion of demonstration unit at her home. Initially she had only 6-goats, but after applying the deliverables of LEDP Demo Unit, she has now 18 goats and earns Rs. 4,000 to Rs. 5,000 per month on an average. The “Gopalnagar New Prativa Mahila Sangha Bahumukhi Prathamik Samabay Samity Ltd”. (SHG Cooperative) is also helping her in selling goats and goat meat during local festivals and nearby Jabla market. Srimati is also playing the pivotal role in her village to motivate other SHG members to pursue goat rearing as sustainable livelihood activity for SHG families.

About the success, she said “I would like to thank SPADE and NABARD because of giving me the opportunity and confidence to undertake goat rearing on a commercial basis. Now I am very happy and my family life is much better”.