Safal collaborates with oil marketing company to open fresh fruits and vegetable outlets in Bhubaneswar
Safal collaborates with oil marketing company to open fresh fruits and vegetable outlets in Bhubaneswar

Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetable Pvt Ltd (MDFVPL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) under its Safal brand will open fresh fruits and vegetables outlets at three petrol pumps in Bhubaneswar on Monday.

Dilip Rath, Chairman, NDDB, said, "Union petroleum and oil minister has proposed this idea of having fruits and vegetables outlets in petrol pumps to make fuel filling centres as one-stop shopping centres. We worked out on a business plan and implementing it for the first time in Odisha."

The pilot project aimed at providing fruits and vegetables to consumers at affordable prices at the same time provide market linkage to vegetable growers and give them a fair price for their produces.

Rath said, "Initially the board will procure fresh fruits and vegetables from vegetable growers’ associations. Farmers in Odisha get only 30% of the consumers’ price, which we are aiming to increase up to 60%. This initiative will give a fillip to the sector."

He said that Odisha produces 25% less vegetables than the national average and 50% less fruits than the national average.

He added, "Despite having huge potential in the fruits and vegetables sector in terms of productivity Odisha is largely dependent on its neighbouring states. Unlike other states Odisha has plenty of ground water and favourable weather conditions for vegetable growing."

The board has also plans to provide training to farmers and help them with best farming practices from across the country through agronomic intervention for key horticulture crops like banana, parwal, tomato, brinjal, chilli and lady finger.

The NDDB chairman said, "Apart from ensuring quality and hygienic fruits and vegetables to consumers Safal will also promote farm producer organisations which will streamline quality procurement and also give remunerative prices to them. We have plans to include over 1000 growers from different districts under the project."

Mother Diary has also plans to expand the outlets to more filling centres in coming days.

Rath said, "If we get good response then we would expand in the state and will also replicate the model in other states. The state has over 1500 filling centres so if they will provide us space we will open similar outlets in other filling centres. "

This is for the first time Safal opens its outlets outside New Delhi and NCR where it has 380 outlets and 20 outlets in Bengaluru.

 
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