Samagra

(Local Production Marketing Network)

Majority of the micro -enterprises initiated and still sustaining in our State are mostly low income generating enterprises. Many enterprises were closed due to a variety of reasons like lack of technical &entrepreneurial skills, lack of facilitation etc. Hence the major areas to be stressed in our continued efforts will be to make the already existing enterprises as more income generating ones and to initiate enterprises which can provide high income and employment opportunities. To achieve these, Kudumbashree is formulating an extensive programme “Samagra” to create Local Production Marketing Network.

What is Samagra?

In general Samagra means comprehensive development of either an agricultural produce or an industrial product or a traditional job. This is an all inclusive programme encompassing all the components from production to marketing, helping the people involved to derive maximum possible income and thereby improving the general living standards of the people in that area.

This programme is to be implemented by involving all the agencies working in that area under the leadership of the local self government.

Objectives

Productivity improvement – To survive the competition in the market of the Agri related – cottage – industrial produces, the productivity is to be increased atleast to the world average. Only through this major share of the market can be grabbed and more income can be generated. Smagra includes activities to attain this objective.

Quality enhancement – To compete in the market along with productivity, quality of the produce is also to be improved. Only through this more income can be generated. Samagra includes programmes for quality improvement.

Product diversification- The value of a produce can be increased 500 times through product diversification. Most of the rich countries are taking advantage of this while grabbing the major share of the market. But we cannot utilize this potential eventhough we have a basket of various agricultural produces. Samagra takes care of this also.

Ensuring market for the produce – Ensuring market for the produce through planned strategies is also to be taken care of along with increasing productivity, enhancing quality and product diversification. Samagra envisages creating marketing chains through effective public intervention, utilizing gaps in the existing markets and entering new markets.

Increased people participation- No social process can sustain without the involvement and participation of people. Samagra ensures people’s participation from production to marketing or even export.

Increased women participation – Women are the marginalized victims of poverty. Samagra envisages more employment opportunities to this sector and thereby increasing their income level.

Poverty reduction - Samagra means the poverty reduction process involving the women from families below poverty line

Capacity Building – To meet the objectives like increasing productivity, enhancing quality, product diversification, ensuring market access etc newer technologies may made use of. The capacities of the women involved are to be built up to enable them to utilize these technologies. Samagra involves this process of capacity building also.

While preparing samagra project, it should cover the following

The strategies to be followed are:

·        Convergence of different activities – While preparing projects on agricultural crops, animal husbandry, fish farming etc. there should be an  integrated  approach involving different sectors like training, crop development, production of planting materials, production of improved genera and related activities, marketing etc.

·        Convergence of different projects/ programmes – Smagra should comprisedifferent projects and programmes being implemented through different departments and LSGs

·        Convergence of different departments – Under the present set up different departments are carrying out poverty reduction, marketing, crop development etc. This incur duplication of efforts, wastage of time and money. Hence samagra envisages convergence of activities of different departments in these sectors.

·        Effective utilization of the efficiency of private sector in production and marketing sectors – By utilizing the efficiency of the private sector in the public sector also, progarmmes will be more effective and productive. Samagra visualize this especially in production, marketing, quality control etc.

·        Ensuring product diversification and quality enhancement in the production process

·        Employing modern technologies in marketing – All the modern technologies available in research institutions for product diversification, quality enhancement and marketing should be made use of to get a major share in the market. Samagra comprise newer marketing strategies for packaging, branding, networking etc.

Samagra in Districts