KisanKonnect looks to export 'Moms Kitchen' products, expand mkt out of Maha

Farmers' producer company (FPC) KisanKonnect, which turned lockdown into a business opportunity, has said it is all set to start its next phase of growth with plans to export the company's Moms Kitchen products to Europe and the Middle East in this financial year.

The Maharashtra-based FPC is also planning to strengthen its current market and expand its footprint to states like Karnataka, KisanKonnect founding member Shrikant Dhokchawale told PTI.

''Last year, the lockdown left us with a huge stock of vegetables and no market to sell them. However, we decided to make it an opportunity and 11 of us came together and began supplying fresh fruits and vegetables to housing societies in Mumbai. Now, we have over 800 farmer members in Maharashtra supplying fresh produce to customers spread across Mumbai, Pune, Nashik among others,'' he said.

Eleven farmers from Ahmednagar and Pune districts joined hands to turn this crisis into an opportunity by supplying their stocks of vegetables and fruits directly from their farms to the doorsteps of consumers, who were struggling to get daily supplies due to stringent lockdown conditions last year.

Now, after establishing in Maharashtra, the FPC is planning to foray into Bengaluru and other cities in Karnataka and aims to connect with over 2,500 farmers by the end of 2022, he added. KisanKonnect currently has more than 1,100 farmer members.

''We are planning to expand gradually to other cities on the basis of demand,'' he added.

KisanKonnect has also engaged with women to set up a rural home kitchen, Moms Kitchen, where women cook and pack traditional snacks and finger foods like Chakali, Chiwada, Laddoos, creating an additional source of income for farmers.

This initiative has been picking up to get more orders from recurrent buyers from Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Ahmednagar who preferred authentic rural tastes, Dhokchawale said.

''The demand for Moms Kitchen products have grown substantially. We are now getting overseas queries for products like chutney, aachar, Maharashtrian and Gujarati sweets and savories. We have decided to begin exports of Moms Kitchen products in this financial year to countries in the Middle East and Europe where there is a large Indian diaspora,'' Dhokchawale said.

Funding for the FPC was initially done by the farmer members and the expansion is being funded through internal accruals, he said.

Under the Moms Kitchen brand, KisanKonnect is also planning to add products to take the total portfolio to 100-150 from the current spread of around 35 products, which will give a wide choice to its customers, he added.

He said the demand for both fresh produce and Moms Kitchen products is growing as they are delivered directly from the farm to consumers with no middlemen and are priced competitively. ''With this increase in demand and expansions, we are expecting 25-50 percent growth in revenue in the current financial year. Our revenue for 2020-21, stood at Rs 9.5 crore,'' Dhokchawale added.