The Puthari Farmer Producer Organisation was established in the year 2017, by KVK Kodagu as the Producer organization Promoting Institution (POPI) under funding support from NABARD under its Produce Fund. It was registered under the Companies act as Puthari Farmers Producer Company ltd. With funding support from NABARD, the company recruited a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and minimum manpower to start an office for the FPO. KVK provided office space inside the campus at Gonikoppal itself to have better coordination and to reduce initial expenses.

The KVK has been playing a major role in PFPCL – through its three-and-a-half year journey – from the birth of PFPCL to its nurturing and on to its maturity as a self-sustaining organisation with 980 members as on today. The KVK has been supporting the PFPCL through regular capacity building programmes for its members, training for its Board of Directors, exposure visits to different FPOs and progressive farmers’ fields, member mobilisation, etc.

The company initially started with retailing of basic farm inputs such as most-used fungicides and insecticides, irrigation equipment, coffee picking mats, shadenets, etc., required by coffee and pepper growers. The FPO formally launched its first retail outlet in September 2017. It was a big success. The company, which started with 15 products in the beginning, today has about 1750 products in its kitty, catering to the needs of coffee, pepper and paddy farmers. The products available range form manures, fertilizers, plant protection chemicals, irrigation pumps, sprinkler and drip irrigations items and the farm machinery. The company has achieved a turnover of INR 3.5 Crores in the year 2020-21.

The FPO formally started its Rural Mart in KVK campus on 11th Nov, 2020 with NABARD support. The Rural mart initially was started as a small intervention during the Covid lockdown period from April, 2020, to help small and marginal farmers in selling their fruits and vegetables . Realizing the importance of rural mart in giving farmers a fair price for their produce, the FPO decided to continue with the Rural mart. The Rural mart is now procuring farmers produce like vegetables, fruits, eggs, fish etc from members and selling to consumers. The FPO has also prepared a roadmap for the marketing of coffee and pepper grown by its members under its own brand Jamma.