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by rohan
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India is a predominantly agricultural nation and hence most people undertake agriculture-related work such as animal husbandry, fishing and farming. While men proudly call themselves farmers, women farmers often say that they do not engage in any kind of ‘productive work’. To change this mindset, a group of women farmers came together to form ‘Karn Bhumi’ a farmer-producer company in Bihar. With the tagline ‘from seed to market,’ Karn Bhumi sells the best quality seeds to farmers in Bhagalpur and Munger areas.

FARMERS TROUBLE

The economic condition of farmers in Bihar is deplorable. They do not earn an adequate income from agriculture and often turn to moneylenders for monetary support. Farmers require loans for many reasons, be it for marriage, buying agricultural inputs or at times even purchasing food supplies. These moneylenders charge a very high-interest rate, pushing the farmers further into a debt trap. They are also unable to get timely support from the government for any of their basic needs.

Recognizing these issues, Karn Bhumi came into being. It operates in two districts, Bhagalpur and Munger. Unfortunately, despite the hard work put in by our farmer bens, they did not have an identity. Karn Bhumi gave recognition to women farmers’ work as ‘work’, making them self-reliant and strengthening their economic condition. Its main goal is to provide the best quality seeds at the right price to all farmers. Under a larger umbrella, it also aims to protect farmers from middlemen and adopt technologies that will improve crop yield.

THREE PILLARS OF KARN BHUMI:

The three pillars of Karn Bhumi are the shareholders, board members and staff. Together these three support Karn Bhumi in all its operations. It is due to their combined efforts that the enterprise has been able to move forward.

1. SHAREHOLDERS:

Shareholders are the foundation of Karn Bhumi. Kisan bens made Karn Bhumi what it is today by investing their capital. There are 778 shareholders in Karn Bhumi, in which Bhagalpur has 385 shareholders and Munger has 393 shareholders. Whenever it was time to plant a crop, they had to face many problems such as: which crop to plant, which seed would be good, where to get good seeds at the right price, whether the seed would be available on time or not, how to get the right price for crops, how to avoid middlemen and so on. Karn Bhumi was formed to address all these issues.

Shareholders Responsibilities:

  1. Commitment and commitment to usage of FPO services
  2. Actual use of services
  3. Ownership and control to be an active part of FIG (Farmers Interest Group)
  4. Nomination and election of director
  5. Participation in decision making

2. BOARD MEMBERS (OR BOARD OF DIRECTORS):

Some bens are elected by the shareholders to take decisions, keep account of the work done, oversee purchases, handle sales and solve problems. There are 5 board members in Karn Bhumi, out of which 3 are in Bhagalpur and 2 reside in Munger. In order to become a board member, the following conditions need to be fulfilled:

a) She should be from the same village, however, this has no connection with politics.
b) She should have leadership skills and the drive to serve.
c) She should not be associated with any other organization.

Board members are elected at the first level in 3 years, after that this period is reduced to 2 years. If a member retires and is elected again, she can become a board member, but no member can remain a member of the board for 9 consecutive years.

3. STAFF

Be it record keeping, any work of purchase, sale, income, and expenditure, or dealing with government documents, all these are handled by our staff. The following describes the role of our staff members:

Accountant: Keeps account of all the money of the company, accounts of purchase and sale, filing GST, getting audit done, renewal of license, doing all the accounting before AGM, then entering whatever veal is cut by Krishi Sakhi.

Agriculture Specialist: An agricultural expert examines the crop that should be planted in a specific season, ensures that good-quality seeds are sold, shares information about insecticides, and conducts soil tests.

Supervisor: The supervisor follows up on all Krishi Sakhis and keeps an account of transactions. If Krishi Sakhis have any problems in the field, the supervisor visits them, holds meetings, and solves their problem. The account of all the money remains with the supervisor, which is reported to the CEO. The supervisor gives a sales target to all Krishi Sakhis and pays attention to how this target will be fulfilled.

Krishi Sakhi: Krishi Sakhis are community women trained to be sales agents. They act as a bridge between the customers and the management team. Krishi Sakhis go from door to door, conducting producer group meetings, looking after sales, collecting demands and providing customer support. They ensure that Karn Bhumi’s presence reaches the last mile.

CEO: The role of the CEO is crucial as all the purchases and sales in the company are looked after by the CEO. The CEO is responsible for all the company’s records and preparing government documents. If the board needs any information, the CEO is obliged to provide the same.

KARN BHUMI HAS TWO COMMITTEES:

Purchase Committee: Three quotations are brought to the Purchase Committee before making any purchase. After that, there is a committee meeting, where all three quotations are viewed. The one which has the lowest rate and best quality seeds in all the three quotations, its bill is passed.

Complaints Committee: The complaint that comes from the field is noted by this committee. It is investigated whether the complaint is correct or not, following which action is taken on it and it is resolved.

POLICY

A Memorandum of Association (MoA) represents the charter of the company. It is a legal document prepared during the formation and registration process of a company to define its relationship with shareholders and it specifies the objectives for which the company has been formed. It includes details such as the company’s registered name, location and business activities, volume of shareholders, their names and addresses. This legal document has been made for Karn Bhumi, and it is now a legally registered enterprise.

WHY KARN BHUMI STANDS OUT FROM THE REST:

Karn Bhumi as an enterprise has proven to be of immense support for farmers. It provides seeds to farmers bens at the right price. Inputs like seeds and fertilizers are made available on time and Karn Bhumi also facilitates the transportation of outputs such as wheat, paddy, okra etc. to the market. The enterprise has taught bens effective farming methods so that more work can be done in lesser time. In the logo of Karn Bhumi, the leaf is the symbol of agriculture and the dot symbolises SEWA.

KARN BHUMI EMPHASIZES THE FOLLOWING TO GROW ITS BUSINESS:

Providing fertilizers: Organic fertilizers are made available to bens from Karn Bhumi. These are 100% chemical-free and only made from naturally occurring materials.

Testing seeds: When seeds come to Karn Bhumi, they are tested before their sale is made.

Knowledge of farming: Bens are taught new and effective ways to undertake farming.

Linkage with government schemes: Bens are connected with government schemes such as Kisan Tractor Yojana, Kisan Nidhi Yojana, Kisan Credit Card Yojana, among others.

SUCCESS STORIES

Sunita Devi, a resident of Badehsanpur, is a shareholder at Karn Bhumi since its inception. Earlier her yield from farming was not enough. She was taught to cultivate potatoes using the drip irrigation system, which resulted in an increase in her yield. After doing her work according to the instructions provided at Karn Bhumi, Sunita ben is quite content.

Kanchan ben is a 33-year old woman agricultural worker who belongs to Lodipur village, located in the Bhagalpur district of Bihar. From a tender age, she had to bear the dual responsibilities of being a student and a field worker, assisting her family in farming activities. After her marriage, she felt restricted in her home environment, and wished to employ newer techniques to increase her farm yield. With assistance from Karn Bhumi, Kanchan ben learned how to build a net house, use drip irrigation and do organic farming. She now employs these on a regular basis, and has recorded a massive improvement in terms of her crop quality and output. Kanchan ben was honored by the Hindustan newspaper for her efforts and now serves as a board member at Karn Bhumi.

CONCLUSION

It is crucial to evolve with changing times and Karn Bhumi strives to work in this direction. With the advent of new types of agricultural equipment, there has been a gradual improvement in crop yield. At Karn Bhumi, we aim to sell the best-quality seeds to farmers and also provide them with training regarding the latest agricultural tools and techniques. We hope that Karn Bhumi paves the way for sustainable farming and inspires farmers to continue working hard in their profession.

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