Srinagar July 04:(KNS) An Interaction meeting with Mr Syed Haamid Bukhari, Officiating Registrar of Companies UT of J&K and Ladakh was organized by the PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry Kashmir here today. The ROC updated the Chamber Members on some of the recent initiatives taken and relaxations granted by the Ministry of Corporate affairs amid Covid-19 and throttled internet connectivity in J&K.
Apart from the general issues, the Chamber had threadbare focused deliberations about compliances of Producer Organization (PO) as a legal entity formed by primary producers, viz. farmers, milk producers, fishermen, vegetable and fruit growers, weavers, rural artisans, craftsmen etc.
Presiding over the interaction session Mr Syed Haamid Bukhari said that Farmer Producer organization is a legal entity formed by primary producers and these FPO`s act as a catalyst in enhancing the income of farmers and ROC CRC (Central Registration Centre) will be registering FPO`s online within two days with minimum compliances. Acknowledging the lack of awareness and dissemination of information among youth of valley regarding registering of companies and various government schemes, Bukhari added we need to have large scale interaction and awareness programmes at grass root level in rural and urban areas. In J&K Agriculture has always been a lifeline of the economy, providing livelihood to millions of farmers, and FPOs has the potential to give farmers better bargaining power and create a more transparent agri-market. FPOs need to be professionalized. They need tailored capacity-building support and seamless access to finance. The aforementioned portfolio of targeted interventions can help deliver these changes. The changes will take time to happen in J&K but the process needs to begin now and as a registrar of Companies you will be witnessing that my role as regulating and reporting will be balanced in fostering and facilitating business culture, handholding and outreach of entrepreneurs, Mr Bukhari added.
Speaking on the occasion Chairman Baldev Singh Raina said that the FPO`s will play a vital role to reduce the unemployment rate of J&K. The fertile land with unique variety and quality of farm produce of J&K has tremendous potential for formation of Farmer Producer Organizations. The recent initiative and movement of PHD Chamber Buy Local will be a building block for enabling the youth in rural areas to achieve the target of producing local and to mobilize farmers and build their capacity to collectively leverage their production and marketing strength through these FPO`s
Mr Mushtaq Ahmad Chaya, while felicitating Bukhari said that we feel proud that our son of soil is being elevated and posted on such a prestigious post of union Ministry of Corporate affairs, in his remarks Chaya said that during the last couple of years, there has been a growing interest in promoting an enabling environment for Farming activities and enabling these farmers as well as other business entities in professional manner as registered companies, so that they emerge as successful business enterprises in their own right. Chaya added that in J&K region the Registrar of company affairs needs to aware the Companies to work in a professional manner as we are lagging behind in organizing and maintaining our books and returns, till we get fully acquainted with rules and regulations, the ROC have to handhold the entrepreneurs to achieve the ultimate level and standard of compliances.
Mr Parveez Qalander and Humayun Wani, while deliberating on the subject said that the FPO model can create value across different post-harvest phases, including harvesting, primary processing, storage, secondary processing, and market linkages. The model ensures that all benefits from value addition are retained by the FPOs. The FPO model faces challenges with respect to community mobilization, effective decision-making and governance, efficiency of promoting agency, and access to capital. The awareness and concept of FPO has to be preached in schools, Colleges so that the aspirants will foster this as a profession and then only a trust will be created in formation of FPO`s at grass root level.
Bilal Ahmad Kawoosa Expert Chair of the sector said the success of farmer organizations is critical for ensuring the success of smallholder and marginal farmers in India, and FPOs will continue to blossom as an aggregator of aspirations for millions of farmers across the country. A dedicated technical support facility can help build transition FPOs from a production-oriented model to a more value-addition and agribusiness focused model. It will offer farmers access to a range of services, including training, sourcing of inputs, mechanization, value addition, market information and linkages. For this, it will need to leverage solutions of private sector companies and ROC will play a vital role in registering and mitigating the issues of these Producer companies.
The Interaction was attended by Directors of Silk Farmer Producer Companies, entrepreneurs pertaining to FPO sectors.(KNS)