Sharmik Bharti

Sharmik Bharti works with small mustard crop farmers in Kanpur Nagar & Kanpur Dehat Districts of Uttar Pradesh. In a typical harvest season, one farmer produces an average 4-5 quintals of mustard crops, of which one-third is used for personal consumption and two-thirds are sold in the market. Small farmers are especially susceptible to distress selling, selling their produce at the lowest price, or spoiled harvests when they are not able to go to market immediately. When the COVID-19 lockdowns were implemented during harvest season, farmers were unable to sell their produce. With IDS funds, Sharmik Bharti offered community level cleaning, grading and storage facilities for 225 farmers to store their harvest for a total of 25 tons of mustard seeds. Then, when markets were reopened in June, the farmers were able to sell their produce and generate income when the market price was higher. As a result, their income increased by 4.5 lacs.