Ms. Anusaya Padhan, a 40-year-old woman farmer, resides in the village of Sampali, which falls under the Ambabhona block of Bargarh district, Odisha. Her family has a long-standing tradition of engaging in agriculture as their primary source of income. However, due to limited access to finance and technical guidance, they were unable to maximize the productivity of their land. Anusaya learned about the Sampurna project, implemented by Mahashakti Foundation with support from HDFC Bank Parivartan, in her local area. Without hesitation, she explored the process of joining and discovered that she could become a member of a Producer Group (PG). Anusaya became a part of a PG called Chirasabuja Utpadaka Dala, along with other enterprising women. Through her involvement with the PG and the project, she attended a training program where she learned about Integrated Package of Practices (IPOP) that are best suited for chilli farming. •
Anusaya received assistance for ploughing on her 50 decimal land; seeds and fertilizers from the Sampurna project. She cultivated the VNR Krishna Variety chilli in her demo plot. By implementing effective pest control mechanisms and applying IPOP techniques, she achieved a yield of 90 kg of chillies. Leveraging the connection with an established network of chilli traders (through the Project initiative), she sold her produce at INR 50 per kg, earning a total of INR 54,500.
