active· Education

Increase cooperative vegetable business through own outlets and other sales channels

Agriterra has started collaboration with AACL in March 2017 which gave opportunities to know each other better. During 2017, Agriterra mainly focused on study of cooperative vegetables marketing, strengthening institutional capacity in managing agricultural cooperatives, and on financial management. As follow up of advisory services in 2017, AACL has started mushroom and tomato packaging with cooperative logos and provision of vegetable price list daily on the notice board. AACL has formed separate management team for cooperative marketing. These activities have resulted in increased sales turnover of vegetable marketing. Currently, AACL is only able to absorb approximately 2 percent of total production of its members through one cooperative outlet. AACL has made a plan to add two new outlets and use different sales channels for increasing the sales turnover. AACL would like to further position itself in the vegetable marketing by adding value to the products of its members with own branding, logos and packaging. In order to do that there is need to further improving financial management and increase capital to support the marketing plans. AACL has formulated BHAG to develop and implement a sustainable and cooperative vegetable output marketing modality for the 150 commercial farmer members. The proposed activities are made to achieve sales turnover of cooperative vegetables marketing of Rs.25 million in 2018. The overall objective is to increase member income through establishing cooperative vegetable marketing. Sub Objective 1: Strengthen capacity of vegetable marketingActivity 1.1 Workshop on developing cooperative marketing policy and guidelines Activity 1.2 Engineering design with cost estimation of existing cooperative shop and new cooperative outletsActivity 1.3 Workshop on preparing business plan of cooperative marketing Activity 1.4 Assessment to explore the possibilities on expanding business of cooperative shop and entering on trade marketingActivity 1.5 Monthly meetings/workshops of representative of BoD, marketing sub committee, manager and marketing manager Activity 1.6 Mid term and final review worskhop to track the progess and provide support for planning and implementation of advisory support and events. Sub Objective 2: Strengthen institutional capacity on financial managementActivity 2.1 Workshop and field visit on market assessment and developing branding/market positioning plan Activity 2.2 Submit audit report of 2017/18 and discuss results with Agriterra BAActivity 2.3 Follow up action plan of basic financial management trainingActivity 2.4 Follow up learning from study tour program The proposed activities are made to achieve sales turnover goal of cooperative vegetables marketing of Rs.25 million in 2018 through following sales channels Existing outlet: Rs.10 million New 2 outlet: Rs.8 million Wholesale: Rs.4 million Other channels: Rs. 3 million