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Surachita Agro FPC achieves breakthrough with first 20-MT banana export to Dubai
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Tuesday, 02 December, 2025, 14 : 00 PM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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Surachita Agro Producer Company Limited (SAPCL), a rising farmer-owned enterprise from Karkambh in Solapur, has achieved a major milestone with its first-ever export consignment of 20 metric tonnes of bananas to Dubai. The consignment, shipped in partnership with Pure Planet India Pvt. Ltd., represents a transformative moment for the FPC, which was registered in 2019 and once struggled to find the right commodity and market.
SAPCL began with just 10 farmer-shareholders, but has since expanded into a strong network of 5,000–6,000 growers across Solapur district. However, the road to growth was not without challenges. The company initially explored dry raisins and even fresh grape trading, but both avenues offered limited market promise. According to CEO Ratnadeep More, this prompted the team to reassess their strategy and look for more viable opportunities.
Their turning point came with the identification of banana cultivation as a high-potential crop in the region. As more farmers transitioned to banana farming, SAPCL rapidly scaled its operations, crossing 350 shareholder members and generating daily harvests of 8–10 tonnes. This enabled the company to justify and develop a dedicated packhouse facility to streamline supply.
To deepen value addition, SAPCL also applied for a processing unit under the Government of Maharashtra’s SMART (Balasaheb Thackeray Agribusiness and Rural Transformation) Project, proposing products like banana powder and vacuum-fried banana chips. Yet, despite their production capacity, establishing strong market linkages remained a major hurdle.
This gap was bridged with the support of Palladium, which provided guidance on export-related requirements, buyer connections, and negotiation processes. This assistance ultimately paved the way for the tie-up with Pure Planet India Pvt. Ltd., leading to SAPCL’s first export to Dubai.
The successful 20-MT shipment has now positioned Solapur’s banana growers for better and more stable price realisation. SAPCL also plans to convert lower-grade bananas—often wasted at the farm level—into processed products to reduce losses and expand revenue streams.
Looking ahead, the FPC aims to scale its network to 30,000–40,000 farmers and build a fully integrated banana value chain, demonstrating how Maharashtra’s FPCs can become active contributors to global agri-trade under the SMART Project.
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