A state-level Buyer & Seller Meet, aimed at building robust market linkages and foster direct engagement between farmer collectives and potential buyers, was successfully organized by Digital Green Trust at Hotel Pride, Bhopal, bringing together over 80 participants from across the agri-business ecosystem, including Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), government institutions, private companies, financial institutions, and NGOs.
The event was a part of the Empowering Farmers with Agency, Resilience, and Markets (eFarm) project, supported by Digital Green Foundation with funding made possible by the Walmart Foundation, and focused on "Connecting FPOs to Direct Market". The eFarm project plays a critical role in the agricultural ecosystem by bridging the digital divide in rural communities and empowering FPOs, thereby making smallholder farming more efficient, sustainable and profitable. It enhances last-mile extension through scalable digital solutions and advances sustainable agriculture in line with broader priorities such as food security, climate resilience, and gender equity.
The event brought together over 50 representatives from FPOs, and NGOs across Madhya Pradesh, along with more than 30 key stakeholders from government departments, premier agricultural research institutions, and financial organizations.
The meet facilitated business engagement with verified agri-input providers (including seed, fertilizer, and bio-input manufacturers, as well as farm machinery suppliers) and reliable output buyers (including processors, traders, exporters, and institutional purchasers).
Reflecting on the role of market access for farmer collectives, Mr. B.N. Jha, Director (Marketing) Spices Board of India, said, “The Buyer-Seller Meet serves as a vital platform for connecting the finest spice producers with global buyers, fostering international trade, and preserving the heritage of Indian spices for generations to come."
This initiative is part of Digital Green Trust’s and the Walmart Foundation’s shared mission to leverage technology strengthen farmer collectives and improve their access to markets through tools like eFarm — a platform that supports end-to-end operations including FPO registration, input demand planning, procurement tracking, and output marketing, and FarmerChat, an AI-powered assistant delivering multimodal, localized and timely advisory support to farmers.
Nidhi Bhasin, CEO of Digital Green Trust, stressing on the transformative power of digital tools in empowering farmer collectives said, “Digital tools are reshaping how FPOs operate — from managing inventory and finances to engaging with their members. By bringing in data-backed decision-making and AI-enabled support, we’re seeing more transparent governance, stronger planning, and new opportunities for growth at scale. With growing exposure to digital platforms and marketplaces, even the boards of FPOs are becoming more tech-savvy – enabling farmer collectives to directly engage with suppliers and buyers, and take charge of their market access strategies.”
On the significance of using digital tools to empower farmer collectives, Nishant Gupta, Social & Environmental Impact Advisor, from the Walmart.org team, said, “Strengthening market connections is critical to unlocking the full potential of FPOs. Through the eFarm project, we’re enabling farmer collectives to connect directly with input suppliers and buyers in a more transparent and scalable way. The Buyer–Seller Meet in Madhya Pradesh is a key step toward building a more inclusive, tech-enabled agricultural marketplace — one that empowers smallholder farmers, especially women, to participate more fully in the value chain.”
Key institutions such as the Spices Board of India, NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd.), MPIDC (MP Industrial Development Corporation), Ayekart, Adani Wilmar, Britania, and Katyayani participated in the meet, adding insights on market access, procurement processes, certification, and financing. Panel discussions and B2B networking sessions provided FPOs with an understanding of evolving market demands, branding, certification processes, and financing options available for business expansion. Financial institutions also shared schemes and credit facilities designed to support collective enterprises.
The meet also showcased eFarm’s Input Supply Management Tool and Output Market Facilitation features, with live demos helping FPOs visualize how digital tools can improve efficiency, traceability, and market responsiveness.
The event concluded with a renewed call for collaboration among technology providers, financial institutions, research bodies, and grassroots organizations to strengthen the digital journey of FPOs and build resilient market linkages.
About Digital Green Trust
Digital Green Trust is a social impact organization in India that empowers smallholder farmers through technology and grassroots partnerships. Since 2008, it has reached nearly 5.5 million farmers – half of them women – by integrating scalable digital tools into public extension systems and training over 100,000 frontline workers. It started with a community-based video approach and is now foraying into provisioning an AI-powered assistant, FarmerChat mobile based application to help farmers access localized, actionable advice, improving adoption of best practices, incomes, and self-reliance. So far, more than 2,00,000 farmers and extension workers in India are using FarmerChat.
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