Small Farmers' Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC)

Why in News ?

Recently, the Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare exclusively focused on the role of Small Farmers' Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) in increasing income of small and marginal farmers through aggregation and development of agri-business.

Vision :

Promoting Agri-business by participation of institutional and private sector investments and linkages to ensure the empowerment of all farmers in the country.

Mission :

To link small and marginal farmers to technology as well as to the market in association with private, corporate or cooperative sector and if necessary, by providing backward and forward linkages.

Key Points of SFAC :

• SFAC is an autonomous society promoted by Ministry of Agriculture Cooperation Farmers' Welfare, Government of India. 

• SFAC especially focused on increasing incomes of small and marginal farmers through aggregation and development of agri-business.

• It was established in 1994 under Societies Registration Act, 1860.

• SFAC is progressing towards establishing an eco-system for FPOs/FPCs to make them sustainable and viable in the long run. 

• SFAC is also implementing the National Agriculture Market Electronic Trading (eNAM) platform.

• Society is a pioneer in organising small and marginal farmers as Farmers Interest Groups, Farmers Producers Organisation and Farmers Producers Company for empowering farmers with bargaining power and economies of scale.

• To mobilisation of farmers for aggregation across the country with ultimate aim of sustainable business model and augmented income.

• SFAC offers Schemes like Equity Grant and Credit Guarantee Fund (EGCGF) Scheme to FPCs to improve availability of working capital and development of business activities.

• SFAC promotes development of small agribusiness through its VCA Scheme for value added processing and marketing linkages.

Objectives :

• Development of agri-business by encouraging institutional and private sector investment and linkages to ensure the empowerment of all farmers in the country.

• Some Important Schemes Implemented by SFAC - EGCGF Scheme, Venture Capital Assistant (VCA) Scheme, Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) Scheme, National Agriculture Market  (eNAM) Scheme.

• Due to crisis of COVID-19 SFAC launched the Kisan Rath app with the help of officials of the Ministry of Agriculture which lessened the problem of transport of farm produce during lockdown.

• SFAC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) to bring in better synergy in the agricultural activities.

• To catalyze agro-industrial growth in the country based on the principles of :

i) Ecological Sustainability

ii) Economic Efficiency

iii) Social Equity

• To encourage organisation of marketing chain both for domestic and export marketing.

• To identify and promote post-harvest processing/manufacturers units in the public, private and cooperative sector.

• To prepare, print and publish papers, periodicals, monographs in futuristic of the objectives of the society.

_True & _False

1. SFAC has been identified as a central procurement agency by GoI for price stabilisation of onion and pulses under Price Stabilization Fund.

_True

2. SFAC promote to agri-business projects involving value addition in the hand of farmers.

_True

3. SFAC can not implement e-market for agriculture.

_False

4. SFAC was established in 1998 under Societies Registration Act, 1860.

_False

5. The Credit Guarantee Fund Scheme to provide free credit to FPCs.

_True

References 

SFAC website

Pib

E-book