CHENNAI: Samunnati and the State Bank of India have come together to strengthen collaborative efforts in agri-financing.
Samunnati, led by founder Anil Kumar SG, Badri Narayanan, Group CEO, hosted a senior delegation from SBI, led by Govind Narayan Goyal, chief general manager – agri business unit (ABU) & government sponsored schemes (GSS), corporate centre, Mumbai.
The meeting served as a platform to explore strategic areas such as the revival of agri co-lending partnerships, priority sector lending, and ecosystem-wide synergies. Discussions also touched upon shared goals to enable more inclusive and sustainable financing solutions for Indian agriculture.
“Samunnati’s journey has always been anchored in enabling farmer collectives through
tailored financial and non-financial support. As a market leader in FPO financing, we believe
partnerships like this with SBI—India’s largest bank—are vital to scale meaningful impact.
From co-developing tools like the FPO Grading Framework with Crisil, to public platforms
like the Bharat FPO Finder and FPO Academy, our efforts are centered on strengthening the
agri value chain. We cannot move the needle on agri-transformation without collective
action,” said Anil Kumar.
“SBI’s evolving policy framework—anchored around a 'Producer to Processor' approach—finds strong alignment with Samunnati’s value-chain-led model. The brief yet impactful interaction with the FPOs further reinforced the potential of this approach. We see exciting possibilities ahead to work together and complement each other’s efforts in advancing inclusive agri-finance across the country,” said Goyal.
Three outstanding Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) were felicitated for their contributions to inclusive and sustainable rural development. The Thiruvadanai FPO was recognised for championing women-led leadership and inclusive governance; the Needamangalam FPO was honoured for exemplifying dynamic youth-driven agri-entrepreneurship; and the Yazali FPO was celebrated for its resilient approach to transformative growth in the farming ecosystem.