Agri Secy emphasises direct link between FPOs & hospitality sector

Direct linkages between Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and India’s hospitality sector can create a powerful win-win model that elevates farmer incomes while ensuring hotels a reliable supply of premium, largely chemical-free ingredients. This was the core message from Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary, Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, at the FPO–Hospitality & Farmers’ Benefit Summit 2025 organised by the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI).

Devesh called on hotels to establish structured, long-term procurement frameworks with FPOs, emphasising that India now has nearly 40,000 such organisations producing sustainable and locally rooted agricultural goods. These, he said, align with the hospitality sector’s growing focus on freshness, traceability and consistent quality. Highlighting a systemic challenge, he noted that farmers often buy inputs at retail prices but sell produce at wholesale rates, creating an inverted pricing cycle that suppresses income. Direct procurement from FPOs, he stressed, can correct this imbalance, reduce middlemen and stabilise supply chains.

Reaffirming the Prime Minister’s push for stronger agriculture industry collaboration, the Secretary added that such partnerships would enhance farmer profitability, strengthen supply security and support the hospitality sector’s contribution to GDP and employment. He also pointed to government efforts promoting organic farming, GI-tagged products and responsible tourism, citing Kerala’s Kumarakom Model as an example of successful community–industry integration.

Suman Billa, Additional Secretary & Director General, Ministry of Tourism, said India now requires a fast-tracked, structured farmer–hotel partnership architecture to accelerate rural upliftment and tourism-driven value chains. FHRAI President Surendra Kumar Jaiswal expressed the industry’s willingness to procure from FPOs, provided quality and supply consistencies are ensured. HAI Secretary-General M.P. Bezbaruah reiterated the longstanding demand for infrastructure status for hotels.

A technical session moderated by food writer Sourish Bhattacharyya outlined an operational roadmap for national farm-to-hospitality linkages, featuring experts from the Ministry of Agriculture, Ekgaon Group, Ecociate Consultants, Radisson Hotel Group, Le Meridien and chefs Davinder Kumar and Rakesh Sethi.

FHRAI also curated an exhibition of 50 FPOs from 17 states, showcasing GI-tagged and regional products including yellow tea, Kashmiri mamra almonds, Himalayan saffron, makhana, black turmeric, forest honey, katarni rice and Kandhamal haldi.