Incubation Support Specialist for the Proposed Maharashtra Agribusiness Network Project (MAGNET) in India

The proposed Maharashtra Agribusiness Network Project (MAGNET) will support the state government of Maharashtra through a holistic approach combining a project loan and financial intermediation loan modalities.

The project is aligned with the following impacts:

• achieve average agriculture sector growth rate of 5 per cent;
• promote agriculture produce export;
• and establish fair, competitive, and accessible agriculture markets.

The project’s outcome is: Maharashtra’s horticultural production values and FPOs’ profits increased. The outputs comprise

• (i) institutional capacities of agribusiness institutions and FPOs strengthened,
• (ii) financial and agribusiness capacities of FPOs and value chain operators (VCOs) strengthened, and
• (iii) agriculture value chain infrastructure improved and operational.

Detailed tasks and/or expected outputs. The consultant will be responsible for the following specific tasks and any other relevant matters:

• (i) review MAGNET project documents and outputs of high-level technology consultants, project preparatory consulting firm, post-harvest management and direct marketing studies, and other relevant documents;
• (ii) assess, from business development perspective, the current status and gaps of target crops’ value chains, aggregation, and formation of FPOs in Maharashtra;
• (iii) develop crop-wise assessment and proposals on;
• (iv) contribute to development crop-wise assessment and proposals on (a) trade volume and price projections and targets; (b) market access and expansion for both domestic and export markets including branding concepts; and (c) capacity development plans of FPOs to enhance their business, financial, and technical capacity and utilize high-level and innovative agriculture technologies and women members; and
• (v) enhance capacities especially of start-up and immature FPOs to enable their active aggregation and value-addition activities and participation in MAGNET project activities such as development of post-harvest facilities through matching grants and financial intermediation loans;
• (vi) contribute to development of tailor-made training material targeted to various stages of FPO development and their typical building blocks to be used in handholding capacity development activities conducted by the TA consultants, PISC, and others.