In the village of Futagarh, Harish cultivates land of 1 bigha (1/5 of a hectare) with pulses, paddy and lentils throughout the year. There is much anticipation at the beginning of every harvest.
Farming – takes careful planning and rigorous execution, requiring skills which a typical farmer inherits from his ancestors. But such efforts often fail to fetch the right returns. Stagnating agricultural wages, coupled with unpredictable weather and exploitation practices forces a farmer to migrate to urban areas to engage in unskilled labour in hazardous conditions, while those who continue farming do so in a perpetual debt-ridden environment. Fair trading is a rare concept for a typical farmer, often due to lack of bargaining power and infrastructure. All these further worsens and perpetuates poverty at the bottom of the pyramid.
Like other farmers of his village, Harish faces many challenges when trying to secure fair price for his harvest. The nearest wholesale market is situated many kilometers away from his village and the local markets offer low prices and use dubious weighing methods. This results in virtually no profits for him and his family.
UUI seeks to shoulder small and marginal farmers by ensuring fair and ethical trading at its door-step. Our network of women entrepreneurs reach out to farmers buying produce at fair remuneration, eliminating malpractices in weighing and laying the corner-stone of an ethical market for the typical farmer.
Trading with UUI fetches Harish and his likes more profit on their produce, saves on their logistic cost and ensures the minimum dignity that the typical farmer rightfully deserves.
