Boosting value chain of coconut and coconut products in the region: MGNF does it again!

This article highlights the journey of the owner of Purva Farm Nilesh Prabhu Velguenkar, and other local manufacturers and artisans

IIMB is a business school with a consistent and significant focus on Sustainability and Social Impact. The school is constantly reinventing itself to stay relevant and contribute towards nation building. This direction includes programmes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship, which is a Certificate Programme in Public Policy and Management designed at the initiative of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India (GoI), and implemented in collaboration with State Skill Development Missions (SSDMs). The objective is to develop a cadre of professionals who will work towards improving the skilling ecosystem at the district level and act as catalysts of social change.

MGNF Fellows Shama Pradeep Kamble and Bindiya Sham Gadkar, who are engaged with South and North Goa respectively, have been providing significant and meaningful support to the district administration to improve the skill development program delivery.

Purva Farm - Nilesh Prabhu Velguenkar

Purva Farm, a proprietorship agri-business firm set up by Nilesh Prabhu Velguenkar, is located in Ponda (Goa), serving as the manufacturer, supplier and exporter of an assortment of items at competitive rates. The range includes agricultural machinery, fertilizers like organic vermicompost, coco peat powder, food products and more. They are also into dairy farming. The firm has a team of R&D experts to perform quality checks. Moreover, raw material is procured from licensed (local) vendors or from the Bagayatdar Bazar to ensure best quality outcomes. Although currently the firm’s major market lies across Goa and nearby areas, it supplies products to few other Indian states as well and is aiming to expand further.

Nilesh Prabhu Velguenkar, the proprietor of agri-business firm Purva Farm, located in Ponda (Goa).

The firm’s cocopeat and vermicompost are ecofriendly and are ZED certified. These products nurture crop yield, while protecting the environment. ZED certification by the Government of India aims to enhance competitiveness of an MSME through assessment, handholding, managerial and technological intervention, etc.

Nilesh has received various awards including the Krishi Ratna, Mahindra Samriddhi India Agri Award, Indian Business Award 2019 as the Best New Technology Provider, Certificate of Recognition - India 5000 Best MSME Awards, etc. He frequently receives students from engineering and other colleges at his farm who are seeking information on the processes carried out for value creation, the machinery used, and more. His products are listed in several reputed government and other platforms.

MGNF Intervention: A majority of the households in South Goa grow coconut, contributing to its high yield in the district. Many artisans are also engaged in handicrafts made from coconut shells. MGNF is working on establishing a value chain of coconut and coconut products in the region.

Purva Farm serves as the manufacturer, supplier and exporter of an assortment of items such as coco peat powder, organic vermicompost, agricultural machinery, food products, etc., at competitive rates.

Since Purva Farm sources raw materials from locals, with handholding in terms of increasing the demand of products manufactured by Purva farm, more locals will be benefited as the demand for raw materials will increase. MGNF South Goa contacted PSG Coir Products, manufacturers, exporters and suppliers of coir products in Pollachi, and sent samples of cocopeat and vermicompost for testing and quality check purposes. The results are awaited and once approved, these products will be ready to be exported on bulk from Purva Farm. “Being in this business for the past two decades, I have a robust set up today. I seek support from the Fellows in terms of procuring raw material like coconut husk from the local suppliers as well as for marketing, transporting and exporting. This will not only help me expand my business further, it will also be a great income-booster for the locals engaged in this process.”

The Fellows have also facilitated sale and market linkage of similar products for few other local manufacturers and artisans. Such products have been sold at Yamini (the dusk-to-dawn Indian music and dance concert, held at IIM Bangalore on the eve of Republic Day), yielding good response. The Fellows have also assisted in connecting some of them with Eventures, an event management company, for bulk orders. The Fellows have also worked with some women-owned and home-based units for value addition.