Srinagar, March 22: The ODOP (One District One Product) Invest India, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Delhi, in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir Trade Promotion Organization (JKTPO), today organized a nationwide awareness campaign for the initiative in Srinagar and interacted with manufacturers, UT government officials and media persons.
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Under the ODOP initiative, 21 products have been identified from 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Products like Kani Shawl, Natural Oils (Lavender), Wicker Willow, Basmati Rice, Basholi Pashmina and Saffron were displayed at the event.
Sellers of J&K’s ODOP shared their success stories with the media and spoke about the uniqueness of their craft. Mehek Mihir mentioned her family business of saffron and how with the support of the government departments, her business has grown exponentially. Basith Khan, an entrepreneur of honey, Javed, a grower of saffron, Rafiq Ahmed, a producer of Kani Shawl, Aditya, a businessman- Handicraft, and Tokhir, a producer of lavender oil also shared their craft stories at the event.
What is ODOP scheme?
The Jammu and Kashmir government launched centrally sponsored initiative ‘One District One Product’ (ODOP) under PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme, a component of Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan (ABA) to boost micro food processing industrial sector in the UT.
The ODOP scheme was introduced in 2020 by the Center government to boost traditionally produced perishable indigenous products with their promotion and export as well. The aim of launching this ambitious scheme was to foster balanced regional development, enable holistic socio-economic growth, boost exports and encourage investment.
This innovative initiative is generating enhanced employment opportunities, creating an ecosystem that promotes success and encourage local producers to go global. This scheme is also complementing the existing promotional efforts of the government through Agriculture Crop Clusters, Agriculture Export Policy and National Rurban Mission.
“PMFME, being implemented with the central funding of 60 per cent and state funding of 40 per cent, is working tremendously towards strengthening unorganized micro food processing units besides promoting formalization of the sector.
Benefits of the scheme
As per the scheme, existing micro food processing enterprises as well as new enterprises will be provided financial support on an individual basis for strengthening the infrastructure of the existing units and other related aspects of their enterprises.
Under the scheme, a micro food processing unit may secure 35 per cent or up to ₹10 lakh subsidy besides 50 per cent subsidy will be provided for marketing. In addition, support for bank credit will also be provided to the units under the scheme.
In J&K, the initiative has immensely helped the government to identify products with export potential in the district and address bottlenecks for exporting these products.
The initiative is also encouraging the local exporters and manufacturers to scale up their production and find potential buyers outside India with the help of government.
J&K government is also working on partnering with e-commerce platforms and large e-commerce players to support rural artisans and farmers in leveraging web-based sales through dedicated storefronts for ODOP.
About the Conference
The ODOP lead conference emphasized that the main objective of the campaign is to create awareness among the public about the unique products available in each district and to encourage their consumption.
The conference was addressed by dignitaries including Sh Mehmood Shah, Director, Handloom and Handicraft; Sh Atul Sharma, MD, Handloom and Handicraft Corporation and Dr. Dil Mohammad Makhdoomi, Director Extension – SKUAST.
Officials from Industries Department, JKTPO, Agriculture, Horticulture departments and ODOP sellers and media officials were present on the occasion.
Shah highlighted the efforts being taken by the Department of Handloom and Handicrafts with special focus given to schemes and initiatives of the Union Territory. He emphasized the increase in push for participation in global exhibitions post-COVID, which has played a key role in reviving the economy of J&K.
Harpreet Singh from team ODOP, Invest India, DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry gave a brief introduction about the initiative. He highlighted the various interventions being undertaken by the Central and State governments to establish a stronger brand for India’s unique products.
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Deepangna Singhi from ODOP team interacted with the sellers from various districts of Jammu and Kashmir and talked about the benefits of the initiative.
This initiative is part of the Government of India’s efforts to promote the growth of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and to support the development of indigenous products. The nationwide awareness campaign for ODOP is aimed at improving the economic viability of MSMEs and promoting the consumption of locally-made products.
