Focussed Approach

Context: The agriculture ministry has recently launched “One District One Focus Product (ODOFP)”, which offers several distinct and innovative features.

Key Features of ODOFP

• Involves picking district centric farm product: where they grow or are traditionally made or manufactured for improving the value chain.
  • For e.g. oranges of Nagpur, litchi of Muzaffarpur, and ash gourd (Petha) of Agra.
• No separate fund: but have access to the resources available under Rashtriya and Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, Horticulture Development Mission, National Food Security Mission.
  • The products would be supported by the Rs 10,000-crore PM-FME (Prime Minister Formalisation of Micro Food-Processing Enterprises)
• Role of state governments: to support the ODOFP through their ongoing schemes.

Benefits of One District One Focus Product (ODOFP)

• Enhances the valuation of products: through processing.
• Facilitates upgrading infrastructure: for storage, logistics, and marketing with an emphasis on brand building and exports. Centre has set a target of exporting goods worth $60 billion under this scheme
• Generate additional employment and income in rural belt: by converging with flagship development scheme and galvanising their synergies.
• Benefits all stakeholders: including producers, processors, traders, and exporters.
  • Cluster based approach allows enterprises to use the common infrastructure of support services to save on costs.

Way Forward: For effective implementation of scheme

• Marketing with legally validated linkages between producers and processors, traders and end-users.
• Instilling confidence in farmers or producers of goods by explaining benefits and allaying their misgivings about new laws concerning agri-marketing reforms.
• Allowing out-of-mandi transactions between farmers and private purchaser of their produce (requires states to tweak their marketing laws).