OPERATION GREENS

The Indian economy is largely dependent on agriculture, with around 60% of the population engaged in the sector. However, the agriculture sector is also characterized by high risks and uncertainties, particularly in terms of price fluctuations. TOP crops are among the most important vegetables in India, but they are also prone to price volatility due to factors such as seasonality, production gluts, and supply chain disruptions.

The background of Operation Greens is rooted in the agricultural sector's volatility, particularly concerning these perishable commodities, which often experience price fluctuations due to seasonal variations, supply-demand imbalances, and inadequate infrastructure for storage and transportation.

The initiative is modeled after the success of Operation Flood, which transformed India's dairy sector. It aims to create a system similar to that of Amul's cooperative model for milk, but for the TOP crops, ensuring better price realization for farmers and affordable prices for consumers through efficient value chains and reduced wastage.

Operation Greens involves various measures such as creating storage infrastructure, strengthening the supply chain, promoting agri-logistics, and implementing market intelligence systems to forecast demand and supply patterns. Additionally, it involves integrating farmers, processors, and consumers through Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and other cooperative models to create sustainable linkages and streamline the supply chain.

What is Operation Greens?

Operation Greens is an Indian government initiative aimed at stabilizing the supply and prices of certain perishable agricultural commodities, primarily tomatoes, onions, and potatoes (TOP). Launched to ensure that farmers receive fair prices for their produce and to control price volatility for consumers, Operation Greens seeks to create a balance in the supply and demand dynamics of these essential vegetables.

The main objectives of Operation Greens include:

1. Price Stabilization: To mitigate the frequent price fluctuations in the market for TOP crops, ensuring more consistent and reasonable prices for both farmers and consumers.

2. Enhancing Farmer Income: By providing better prices to farmers for their produce, the initiative aims to increase their income and reduce dependency on unpredictable market fluctuations.

3. Minimizing Wastage: To reduce post-harvest losses of perishable commodities by improving storage infrastructure, transportation facilities, and supply chain management. This involves setting up storage facilities like cold chains and promoting efficient logistics to minimize wastage.

The initiative operates on a similar model to Operation Flood, which transformed India's dairy industry. Operation Greens focuses on creating an integrated supply chain system involving farmers, processors, and consumers, aiming to establish sustainable linkages and ensure smoother movement of produce from farms to markets.

Various interventions and schemes are implemented under Operation Greens, including supporting Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), strengthening market linkages, enhancing infrastructure for storage and transportation, and providing market intelligence to predict demand and supply patterns.

Objectives of Operation Greens 

• To mitigate the frequent and significant price fluctuations in the market for TOP crops. By stabilizing prices, the initiative aims to ensure that farmers receive fair and remunerative prices for their produce while providing consumers with more consistent and affordable rates
• By stabilizing prices and ensuring fair returns to farmers, Operation Greens seeks to boost farmers' income. The objective is to reduce dependency on volatile market prices, thereby improving the economic conditions of agricultural producers
• By stabilizing prices and ensuring fair returns to farmers, Operation Greens seeks to boost farmers' income. The objective is to reduce dependency on volatile market prices, thereby improving the economic conditions of agricultural producers
• One of the significant challenges in perishable produce is post-harvest losses due to inadequate storage facilities, transportation inefficiencies, and supply chain issues. Operation Greens aims to minimize wastage by improving storage infrastructure, implementing better transportation facilities, and optimizing supply chain management.
• Establishing an integrated supply chain system involving farmers, processors, and consumers is a key objective. This involves creating linkages and streamlining the movement of produce from farms to markets to ensure efficiency and reduce wastage at various stages
• Encouraging the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices among farmers, including better crop management, improved technology utilization, and efficient use of resources, to enhance productivity and reduce losses
• Strengthening market linkages, providing support to Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), facilitating access to markets, and ensuring fair dealings for farmers within the agricultural supply chain

• TOP crops are notorious for their volatile prices, often leading to distress sales by farmers due to gluts and market fluctuations. Operation Greens seeks to stabilize prices by balancing supply and demand.
• Post-harvest losses of TOP crops are estimated to be around 25-30%, primarily due to inadequate infrastructure, handling practices, and storage facilities. Operation Greens aims to reduce these losses significantly.
• Fluctuating prices and post-harvest losses negatively impact farmers' income. Operation Greens aims to improve price realization for farmers by strengthening market linkages and enhancing their bargaining power
• The lack of adequate cold chain facilities, processing units, and transportation networks hinders efficient TOP crop management. Operation Greens addresses these infrastructure gaps
• Inefficiencies in the supply chain, including a lack of market information and coordination among stakeholders, lead to supply-demand mismatches. Operation Greens aims to improve market efficiency through demand forecasting and collaboration