Grassroots Entrepreneurship and Capacity Building of Cooperatives & CTCF (Second phase )

About the project

Program Goal and Objectives:

Overall goal is to contribute to sustained rural poverty reduction of smallholder tea farmers by increasing their income, and equally empower small farmer based organisations to provide better technical and management services.

The program envisaged following objectives:

1. 1.Organisational and business management capacity building of Central Tea Cooperative Federation(CTCF), District Cooperative Federations and primary cooperatives or Cooperatives
2. 2.Efficient lobby and advocacy by CTCF and DTCF to bring resources for the promotion of tea sector and bring changes in the tea policy.
3. 3.Entrepreneurship and marketing support targeting especially for young tea farmers
4. 4.To establish effective supervision and monitoring system in tea sector for regular dissemination of information

Activities :

Within nine months period, following activities were carried out:

1. Workshop on Business plan, Entrepreneurship skill and Marketing Promotion for executive Committee members of Seven Cooperative
2. Training on Cooperative Management
3. Training on cooperative account management
4. Preparation and submission of proposals
5. Celebration of National Tea Day
6. Loan from National Youth Employment Fund
7. Facilitating for establishment of National Cooperative Bank branch office in Ilam
8. Training on Entrepreneurship Skill Development for young Tea Farmers
9. Workshop on Participatory Generation of Proposals and Positions
10. Lobby to change National tea policy 2057
11. Lobby and advocacy for loan facility from National Youth Employment Fund (NYIF)
12. Domestic Market Survey for tea produced by mini processing units

Strategic planning review of CTCF

1. Follow-up PGPP Workshop

Achievements :

Within the project duration, the following results are achieved.

1. There are now a total of 66 cooperatives affiliated with District Cooperative Federations.
2. CTCF has received grant amount of NRs. 150,000 from the Cooperative Department.
3. NTCDB and CTCF have jointly celebrated 15th National Tea Day in Jhapa and build better relationship each other organization.
4. Executive Director of NTCDB is positive towards amendment  of exiting tea policy
5. Seven (7) cooperatives review business plan review and make new action plan for further development.
6. 24 young tea farmers have received enhanced entrepreneurship skill.
7. 8 tea cooperatives received subsidy from the cooperative department for establishing mini processing unit and tea packaging.
8. 9 cooperatives have received grants from various government and non governmental organisations (4 cooperatives received funds from VDC funds, 3 from CAA  project, and 1 from NEAT)
9. 7 cooperatives had constructed collection centre in their own land with the support from tea factories and financial support by the NEAT program.
10. 8 cooperatives including CTCF and DTCF have submitted proposal for soft loan to the Youth Employment Fund. Soft loan of amount NRs. 12,500,000 has been approved for 4 tea cooperatives whereas the amount Nrs. 3,750,000 has been already received in the first stage as an instalment.
11. 143 tea farmers of cooperatives members received the one day loan operating orientation training form Youth and Small Entrepreneur Self- Employment Fund in Ilam.  
12. CTCF key members have received PGPP training and already internalized its concept in lobby and advocacy works. 
13. Four people: Mr. Chirangibi Kattel from CTCF, Mr. Surendra Suhang from DTCF Panchthar, and Mr. Surya Khadaga from DTCF, Ilam, Mr. Bhupal Thapa from DTCF Dhankuta, all have received 10 days professional leadership development training from the Central Cooperative Training Centre, Nayabaneswor.
14. 104 tea cooperatives including 24 tea cooperatives of Ilam have purchased shares of cooperative bank for establishment of branch office.
15. Additional 12 new cooperatives are registered.
16. Additional 11 cooperatives are affiliated with CTCF with
17. CTCF participated in the national seminar and the international cooperative year 2012 program.
18. CTCF disseminated the messages to their members about the international cooperative year 2012.
19. CTCF Chairman is elected in the member of National Cooperative Development Board.
20. Executive Director of National Tea and Coffee Development Board is positive towards revision in national tea policy 2057.
21. Sixteen (16) tea cooperatives received technical knowledge on tea processing.
22. Twelve (12) cooperatives received knowledge on case flow management.
23. District federations are now actively involved for improving relationship wit the District level stakeholders such as DDC, NTCDB, Division Cooperative, CAA etc.
24. Strategic plan of CTCF is now revised
25. Domestic tea marketing survey