The cooperative sector is emerging as a key platform for connecting rural women and Self-Help Groups with markets, with the launch of the Vanitham She-Mart initiative in Keralam opening a new avenue for women-led enterprises to move beyond production into processing, branding and retail.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah launched the initiative at Kollam on September 26, along with several other cooperation-related initiatives. The programme highlighted Keralam’s long cooperative tradition, with more than 23,000 cooperative institutions functioning in the state.
She-Mart is designed to provide women Self-Help Groups and rural women entrepreneurs with direct access to consumers and organised markets. Under the initiative, more than 300 She-Mart stores are planned across Keralam, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Local products as well as Bharat Brand products will be sold through the outlets, creating a cooperative-linked retail network for women producers.
The initiative brings national-level cooperative institutions into the effort. Shah said NAFED, Kendriya Bhandar and Amul would help women-led enterprises expand on a larger scale. The model envisages support across the value chain, covering procurement, processing, branding, packaging and ultimately direct access to retail markets.
The launch also saw an MoU between NCCF and Bharat Lajhna Sahakari Samiti for opening 300 She-Mart shops across the three southern states. Another MoU was exchanged between NCCF and The Central Financial Credit and Investment Co-operative (India) Limited (CFCICI), while a separate agreement sought to integrate the fisheries supply chain of Bharatiya Matsya Pravartak Sangham with NCCF’s Janah brand.
The cooperative focus extended to agricultural and food distribution as well. NCCF and NAFED mobile vans were flagged off to supply onions at a subsidised price of ?35 per kg. Bharat Atta and Bharat Rice were also launched for sale to women customers through Vanitham She-Mart outlets.
Shah said around eight lakh farmers are currently associated with NAFED, while nearly six lakh women farmers are associated with NCCF. He said efforts would be made to expand these numbers further, underlining the growing role of national cooperative institutions in connecting producers with markets.
The programme also linked cooperatives with women farmers through the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, under which urad and gram seed kits were distributed to women farmers. In addition, the NAFED-Kalyan Scholarship Scheme is providing scholarships to girl children from registered farmer families.
For Keralam, the initiative adds another dimension to its established cooperative ecosystem. Shah pointed to
the state’s cooperative tradition dating back to the pre-Independence period and said the Centre was prepared to support the state in deriving greater benefits from Government of India schemes, including in organic agriculture and related sectors.
The fisheries sector was another major cooperative opportunity highlighted at the event. With its long coastline, rivers and backwaters, Keralam was described as having considerable potential in the Blue Economy. The emphasis was placed on using cooperation across fishing, processing, packaging, branding and exports to build stronger market opportunities for the sector.
The She-Mart initiative thus places cooperatives at the intersection of women’s entrepreneurship, farmer marketing and retail expansion, with NCCF, NAFED and other cooperative institutions providing the institutional link between rural producers and consumers.
