‘Farmer Cup’ to be Implemented Across All Talukas and Villages in Maharashtra – CM Devendra Fadnavis

Target to form 15,000 Farmer Producer Groups through the initiative

A joint initiative of the State Government and Paani Foundation

Mumbai, Sept 2025 : To expand the scope of the ‘Farmer Cup’ initiative across all talukas and villages in Maharashtra, a high-level committee has been set up under the chairmanship of the Principal Secretary of the Agriculture Department. The state government, in collaboration with Paani Foundation, aims to form 15,000 Farmer Producer Groups (FPGs) during 2026–27 and ensure maximum farmer participation, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced.

He said that the government is introducing several measures at multiple levels to promote innovative technologies in agriculture, improve market access for farm produce, increase productivity, and raise the standard of living of farmers. On March 23, 2025, during the annual program of Paani Foundation, the “Satyamev Jayate Farmer Cup” was announced. The state government will fully support Paani Foundation in scaling up this initiative across Maharashtra. Associating the Farmer Cup with the government will accelerate agricultural development, Fadnavis added, noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also taken significant steps to empower Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and farmers. He emphasized that agricultural development is a key focus in the vision of Viksit Maharashtra 2047, and this initiative will play an important role in achieving that.

Since 2021, Paani Foundation’s “Satyamev Jayate Farmer Cup” has organized more than 50,000 farmers into groups, nearly half of which are women farmers, making it a powerful platform for women’s empowerment. The initiative is currently active in 46 talukas of Maharashtra and has already contributed to notable income growth among farmers. However, in order to enhance rural living standards and encourage collective farming through people’s participation, there is both potential and need to extend this initiative to every district and village in the state.

‘Farmer Cup’ as a People’s Movement – Aamir Khan

Paani Foundation’s founder, Aamir Khan, said that the partnership with the state government provides a significant opportunity to reach every farmer in Maharashtra. “We will continue to work to enhance the income and productivity of farming families through knowledge, training, and collectivization. Our goal is to make the Farmer Cup a people’s movement that uplifts farmers’ livelihoods,” Khan said.

High-Level Committee for Implementation

To expand the ‘Farmer Cup’ to every taluka and village, the state government has partnered with Paani Foundation and set up a high-level committee chaired by Vikas Chandra Rastogi, Principal Secretary of the Agriculture Department. The committee includes Eknath Dawle (Principal Secretary, Rural Development), Aamir Khan (Founder, Paani Foundation), Amit Chandra (Founder, ATE Chandra Foundation), Parimal Singh (Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjeevani Project), Nilesh Sagar (CEO, Maharashtra Rural Livelihood Mission – UMED), Satyajit Bhatkal (CEO, Paani Foundation), Dr. Sharad Gadakh (Vice Chancellor, Dr. Punjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola), Vilas Shinde (CEO, Sahyadri Farms), Dr. Anand Bang (Special Advisor to CM), Priya Khan (Special Officer, CMO), and Kiran Rao (Co-founder, Paani Foundation). The committee will submit its first action report within three months.

Committee’s Mandate

• Develop a detailed roadmap to expand ‘Farmer Cup’ in every village.
• Design simple and practical processes to encourage farmers to adopt collective farming and join FPOs.
• Support FPOs to increase farmer incomes and promote value addition in agro-based industries.
• Promote climate-resilient farming practices.
• Reduce dependency on pesticides and chemical fertilizers while promoting organic and natural farming.
• Prepare robust implementation plans to boost farmer participation.
• Set clear timelines for completion of tasks under ‘Farmer Cup’.
• Build training infrastructure for all implementing agencies.
• Define responsibilities clearly and strengthen coordination among government departments.

Group Farming to Boost Farmer Profits – Satyajit Bhatkal

Satyajit Bhatkal, CEO of Paani Foundation, said: “Since 2022, the Farmer Cup has been transforming farmers’ livelihoods, especially for smallholders and women farmers. Group farming is expected to reduce per-acre cultivation costs by around 20% and double the profits. We are committed to ensuring that every farmer in Maharashtra benefits from this opportunity to increase both income and productivity.”