AASU joins hands with private company to generate employment

Guwahati, June 6 (UNI) Setting in motion an 'economic revolution,' AASU and its offshoot have joined hands with a private enterprise to generate self-employment in Asom.

After signing an MoU, All Asom Students' Union (AASU) advisor Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharyya told a press conference today that the AASU and Asom Unnati Xabha (AUX) had approached Sanghavi Foods Pvt Ltd, promoted by Nilon's Enterprise Private Limited, for cultivation of fruits and vegetables by its members as well as local unemployed youths under the 'contract farming scheme'.

Sanghavi Foods, which had set up its seventh plant in the country in Dalgaon in lower Asom, had assured to support the initiatives of the NGO by providing seeds and technical guidance.

Mr Bhattacharyya said plots had been identified at Darrang, Bongaigaon, Dibrugarh and Nalbari, while the scheme is already under way in a land of 175 bighas at Tinsukia.

According to the MoU, the extent of procurement or commitment on behalf of Sanghavi Foods Pvt Ltd would be subject to the quantity required by the factory for different fruits and vegetables.

Grown fruits and vegetables, ranging from papaya, carrot, mango and lime, would be brought by the Sanghavi Foods at the rates being agreed with the office bearers of the Asom Unnati Xabha (AUX) from time to time on assured buy-back basis.

Of the Rs 300 crore market the food processing industry had in the country, Nipon's share is around 25 per cent.

Around 25 youths had already been employed under the scheme at Tinsukia, where over 30,000 papaya plants had been grown.

Managing director of Sanghavi Foods Pvt Ltd Deepak Sanghavi in the press conference said the cultivator would be responsible for doing all the works related to farming, including use of fertilizers.

It is estimated that a 75-bigha land would witness a turnover of Rs 5 lakh every nine months, of which around Rs 2.5 lakhs would be the profit margin.

The scheme is expected to be extended to the other districts, while soil testing is underway at Nalbari.

In another endeavour, the Sanghavi Foods is contemplating to engage unemployed youths of the state in selling retail products.

Initially, the company would provide a cycle and an umbrella each to ten youths for the purpose on a trial basis.

The youths would be able to earn around 25 per cent margin of the sold products.

Once the trial is successful, it would be extended to a larger scale.

Underlining the need for an 'economic revolution' in the state, Mr Bhattacharyya said the initiatives are expected to improve the living conditions of the indigenous people.

Unemployment is one of the major problems in insurgency-affected Asom where over 70 per cent of the people are directly dependent on agriculture.

Absence of marketing facilities had been a roadblock for the farmers.

UNI