Leonardo Da Vinci once said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. Little did he know that India could adopt the basics of simplicity to create something so intricate and complex and yet, keep it uninvolved and superior. 

Notion Press, India’s leading self-publishing platform, presents Most Engaged, Little Employed, a holistic view into the fresh produce supply chain in the second-most populous country in the world, India, by Mihir Mohanta. 

Over 300 Million Metric Tons of ultra-fresh fruits and vegetables get distributed to over 125 Crores of Indians across an area of 3.28 Million Sq. Kilometres annually flawlessly. With no major involvement of technology, no private corporations pulling strings and funding operations nor government management, fresh food is delivered in a massive movement from farm to fork with the help of millions of hands to nourish billions of people across the country. 

How does this uninterrupted supply system function so smoothly yet impeccably? Who has these millions of people engaged and committed to the system? 

Discover, the men behind the scene the FARMERS! Are they engaged or employed? Or are they in distress, yet servicing? Can the same farmer continue to sustain feeding the billions when his own share in consumer’s rupee in fruits & vegetables is as low as 20%? What is his future and where is he headed to? Is he changing, adapting, or even evolving as per the erratic needs of the public? 

This book is an attempt to decrypt the woes of farmers in the fruits & vegetables supply chain system. It unravels the farm produce monetization intricacies.  It explores the commodity monetizing hubs – the “mandi” and discovers the mysteries of price discovery.

Most of the fresh produce has a shelf-life of a couple of hours to a couple of days. Yet, there is little involvement of the cold chain, and almost everything is transported in ambient. However, it is intended to head to every Indian plate while maintaining the utmost sparkle. The gifted 127 agro-climatic zones of India produce any and every fruit and vegetable that can possibly be cultivated anywhere else in the world. Therefore, the best-processed food has not been able to replace the goodness of the fresh produce. 

Nevertheless, the supply chain is surprised by unpredictable floods, cyclones, hailstorms and droughts. How is this supply chain so resilient yet thoroughly responsive to such calamities? Who manages the demand and how does the supply chain harmoniously co-exist with the ever-changing demand of the country? Most Engaged Little Employed paints a vivid picture with an aura of the authenticity of the current state of farmers who play the decisive role in the immaculate functioning of the system and how they deserve a larger share of the consumer pie.

Most Engaged, Little Employed author Mihir Mohanta is an agri-business professional settled in Delhi NCR and has been in the field of the agro-food supply chain for over three decades. Farming is deep in his blood as he hails from a family who established strong engagements with the same. He has varied experience in the workings of the entire food chain from crop production, procurement, food processing, supply chain, as well as food retailing. 

Mohanta has a rich organizational understanding as he has worked in multinational companies, cooperatives and private as well as quasi-government organizations. Despite the organizational shift, his focus had been on the farmers. His ability to grasp and understand farming issues is remarkable. He has put a business sense in many agriculture projects and turned them into agri-businesses. Mohanta’s market-based solutions in agri-food supply chains have impacted many farmers’ lives and have earned them better livelihoods. 

Moreover, a childhood passion for creativity made Mohanta a self-taught photographer and an artist. He can give his imagination shape through camera and colours. Of late, he has started writing articles on a subject that have been explored little Perishable Fruits and Vegetable Supply Chain. For years, he travelled in farmers’ fields and agro-commodity mandis across India to fathom farmers’ issues. He has endeavoured to create an appreciation of these by policy-makers, academicians and consumers.

Most Engaged, Little Employed by Mihir Mohanta is an attempt to depict the reality in the context of the supply chain with a sense of clarity. Discover the mystery behind this wonderful supply chain today! Grab your copy of Most Engaged, Little Employed in print and e-book format at the Notion Press Bookstore amongst other leading e-commerce portals such as Amazon and Flipkart.