About FFT Himalayan Fresh Produce Pvt. Ltd

FFT Himalayan Fresh Produce Pvt. Ltd. (FFTH) is a joint venture company of Himalayan farmer development trust (A federation of small apple Growers in Uttarakhand Himalayan) and social inventors (A Dutch family foundation). Since 2006, a new approach to local economic development has been pilot tested in India, by setting-up farmer-lead companies. New in this approach is that farmer organizations become equal business partners with private sector parties and a social investor. This social investor stichting Groene Woudt (SHGW) is willing to invest in setting-up of agro-businesses, which can make sufficient value addition to the farmer’s products in order to become healthy, self-sustaining farmer owned companies. The farmers, through their organization, become shareholders in these companies, alongside private sector parties, that secure the interest of the social investor and ensure business rigor. The ultimate aim of this approach is that the economic benefits of the company are ploughed back to the participating farmers, mostly in the form of premiums over their supply (based on quantity and quality), while the investment made by the social investor are fully repaid on commercial terms, for reinvestment in new social ventures. Upon repayment of investment farmer organization eventually get share holding in the companies.