Smart Project

The Government of Maharashtra has launched the State of Maharashtra Agribusiness and Rural Transformation (SMART) Project to promote farming in the state. The project will be implemented in Maharashtra and covers 10,000 villages of the state that is, one-fourth of the state. This project objective will be achieved over the next three years. This article elaborates the features of the Smart Project.

Objectives of the Smart Project

The goals of the Smart Project are as follows.

To increase the income of the farmers.
To provide easy access to markets for farmers to sell their produce.
It intends to revamp agricultural value chains, with its primary focus on the marginal farmers across 1,000 villages.

Project Overview

The State of Maharashtra Agribusiness and Rural Transformation, launched by the Chief Minister, works on the enhancement of the agribusiness and rural transformation. It is a project in association with the World Bank to transform rural Maharashtra using 'SMART' interventions in agriculture and livelihood sectors. This initiative is a stepping stone for doubling the farmers' income by 2022. The Smart Project supports the post-harvest value chain and brings efficiency to benefit the economy at large, encouraging small and medium enterprises within the value chain. It strives to establish a partnership between various stakeholders in the agri-business segments along with the farmer organisations, village level groups, farmer companies, start-ups, SMEs and large corporates with women's

Self-Help Groups (SHGs).

Features of the Smart Project

The characteristic features of the Smart Project are given below.

State of Maharashtra Agribusiness and Rural Transformation is a world bank assisted project.
All decisions of the project will be made by a committee under the chief secretary.
Over 49 corporate houses namely Reliance, Amazon, Walmart, Mahindra Agro, Pepsico, Tata Rallis, Big Basket, Patanjali, Tata Chemical etc. have become partners with government, where some of them have already signed MoU with the government.
The project ensures that agriculture is sustainable and affordable for farmers.
It encourages value addition in post-harvest segments of value chains, facilitates enterprise promotion and business investment.
Many food and agricultural startups are also working to fix farmers issues.
Government is also helping farmer groups with market access.
The project provides an assured market for agricultural produce.
The said project provides direct market access with direct connections between farmers and corporates.
It ensures better prices.
The entrepreneurial partners of the projects include Maharashtra Village Social Transformation Foundation (MVSTF), Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission (MSRLM) and Maharashtra Agricultural Competitiveness Project (MACP) along with Confederation of Industries (CII).
The government officials have invested a sum of Rs. 2,118 crores for the implementation of the project. World bank contributes an amount of Rs. 1,483 crores; the State Government has invested Rs. 565 crores and the Village Social Transformation Foundation (VSTF) donates a sum of Rs. 71 crores. The remaining fund would be raised with the help of CSR funds.
VSTF has signed MoUs with 22 corporates and start-ups to focus on increasing the farm productivity and price realisations for farmers by a direct tie-up with end buyers.

Implementation of the Smart Project

The project will be implemented in 10,000 villages consisting of 10,000-gram panchayats that are shortlisted by the State Government depending on the multiple parameters of socio-economic backwardness of development and growth. The project targets the communities that are faltering under worse agriculture circumstances with the lack of infrastructure and assured value chains to channelise farm produce. The cabinet has also permitted in setting up a project management cell, for which 37 posts, 14 government and 23 on the contract will be generated. The Agriculture Department serves as the central agency, whereas a project coordination committee under the VSTF managing director coordinates between agriculture, marketing, cooperation, animal husbandry and rural development sectors.

Importance of the Project

The project is taking a giant leap towards the transformation of the rural economy and empowerment of farmers and also sustainable agriculture using the

Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. It pursues to guarantee higher crop production and to create a robust market mechanism to facilitate farmers to collect a higher salary for the yield. It combines agriculture-oriented corporates and farmers by providing them with a common platform. Know more about Bhuseva Project

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about SMART Project.

The SMART (State of Maharashtra Agribusiness and Rural Transformation) Project is a World Bank-assisted initiative launched by the Government of Maharashtra to promote farming and rural transformation in the state. It aims to increase farmers' income, provide better market access, and revamp agricultural value chains, focusing on marginal farmers across 10,000 villages.

The primary objectives of the SMART Project are to increase the income of farmers, provide easy access to markets for them to sell their produce, and revamp agricultural value chains with a focus on marginal farmers across 1,000 villages in Maharashtra.

The SMART Project aims to benefit farmers by ensuring sustainable and affordable agriculture, encouraging value addition in post-harvest segments, facilitating enterprise promotion and business investment, providing an assured market for their produce, offering direct market access with connections between farmers and corporates, and ensuring better prices for their agricultural produce.

The key organizations involved in the implementation of the SMART Project include the Maharashtra Village Social Transformation Foundation (MVSTF), Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission (MSRLM), Maharashtra Agricultural Competitiveness Project (MACP), and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), along with various corporate partners such as Reliance, Amazon, Walmart, Mahindra Agro, PepsiCo, Tata Rallis, BigBasket, and Patanjali.

The SMART Project is funded through a combination of sources. The World Bank contributes Rs. 1,483 crores, the State Government of Maharashtra contributes Rs. 565 crores, and the Village Social Transformation Foundation (VSTF) contributes Rs. 71 crores. Additionally, funds are expected to be raised through CSR contributions.

The SMART Project targets 10,000 villages consisting of 10,000 gram panchayats that are shortlisted by the State Government based on multiple parameters of socio-economic backwardness, development, and growth. The project focuses on communities facing challenges in agriculture due to lack of infrastructure and assured value chains.

The SMART Project aims to transform the rural economy by promoting sustainable agriculture practices, empowering farmers through higher crop production and better market mechanisms, facilitating higher salaries for their yield, and creating a robust platform that combines agriculture-oriented corporates and farmers.

The SMART Project leverages the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model by involving various corporate partners and facilitating their collaboration with farmer organizations, village-level groups, farmer companies, start-ups, SMEs, and women's Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to promote agribusiness and rural transformation in Maharashtra.

According to the article, the objectives of the SMART Project are expected to be achieved over the next three years from its launch.

The SMART Project holds great significance for Maharashtra as it aims to double the farmers' income by 2022, support the post-harvest value chain, bring efficiency to benefit the economy, encourage small and medium enterprises within the value chain, and establish partnerships among various stakeholders in the agribusiness segments, ultimately contributing to the state's rural and agricultural development.