Kerala women farmers earn ₹10.07 crore in Onam 2024 via Kudumbashree markets
Synopsis
Over 38,500 Kudumbashree women farmer groups turned Onam 2024 into a ₹10.07 crore payday — selling nearly 1,700 metric tonnes of vegetables and flowers across 2,000+ markets in five days, with every rupee going directly to the growers. Thrissur led all districts at ₹2.85 crore, and the real total is higher still, since farm-gate sales outside the fairs were not counted.
Key Takeaways
Kudumbashree women farmers earned ₹10.07 crore during Onam 2024 through organised markets held between 20–25 August .
More than 2,000 Onam markets were held across Kerala , covering sales of 1,580.88 metric tonnes of vegetables and 113.17 metric tonnes of flowers .
The Onakkani programme generated ₹8.91 crore through over 33,000 farmer groups ; Nirapolima added ₹1.16 crore via 5,500 groups .
Thrissur was the top district at ₹2.85 crore , followed by Palakkad (₹1.62 crore) and Kannur (₹85.50 lakh).
All sale proceeds go directly to the farmers, with no middlemen involved in the Kudumbashree fair model.
The ₹10.07 crore figure is a partial count — additional produce sold outside Kudumbashree fairs was not included.
More than 38,500 women farmer groups across Kerala collectively earned ₹10.07 crore during the Onam 2024 season, as Kudumbashree — the state's flagship women's community network — transformed the festive harvest into a structured, middleman-free marketplace for thousands of cultivators. The earnings were generated between 20 and 25 August through more than 2,000 Onam markets organised statewide.
Scale of the Harvest
The combined sales covered 1,580.88 metric tonnes of vegetables and 113.17 metric tonnes of flowers, produced under two dedicated agricultural programmes: Onakkani and Nirapolima. The produce ranged from locally grown Onam vegetables to ornamental flowers traditionally in high demand during the festival period.
Programme-wise Breakdown
The Onakkani vegetable cultivation programme accounted for the bulk of the revenue. More than 33,000 women farmer groups produced and marketed vegetables worth ₹8.91 crore, supplying locally grown produce directly to Onam shoppers. The Nirapolima flower cultivation programme contributed an additional ₹1.16 crore, with 5,500 farmer groups marketing their floral produce through the Kudumbashree fair network.
District-wise Performance
Thrissur emerged as the top-performing district, recording a turnover of ₹2.85 crore. Palakkad followed with ₹1.62 crore, and Kannur came third at ₹85.50 lakh. Notably, the ₹10.07 crore figure does not capture the full extent of seasonal earnings, as many farmers also sold produce directly through local markets outside the Kudumbashree fair system.
Impact on Farmers and Consumers
A defining feature of the model is that the entire sale proceeds go directly to the farmers, with no deductions for intermediaries. For consumers, the initiative ensured access to locally cultivated vegetables and flowers at a time when festive demand typically drives prices higher. For the women growers, it provided an organised, high-footfall market during the season's peak, reducing structural dependence on middlemen and securing a festive-season price premium for their produce.
About Kudumbashree
Kudumbashree was launched in 1998 as part of Kerala's poverty eradication and women's empowerment agenda. Built around neighbourhood self-help groups and their federations, it has evolved into one of the largest women-centred community organisations in India, active across micro-enterprises, agriculture, livelihoods, financial inclusion, and local governance. Agriculture has become a central pillar of the network, enabling women to move beyond subsistence cultivation into collective production, aggregation, and direct marketing — exactly the model that delivered this Onam's ₹10.07 crore outcome.
Point of View
But the more significant detail is what it does not count — sales made outside the Kudumbashree fair system mean the real income is higher. That structural gap points to an opportunity: if Kudumbashree can bring more of those informal transactions into its aggregation network, the income impact compounds further. More broadly, this model challenges the standard critique of women's self-help groups as credit vehicles alone; here, the network functions as a full supply chain from cultivation to consumer. The question for policymakers is whether Thrissur's ₹2.85 crore performance can be replicated in lower-performing districts, and what specific interventions — logistics, cold storage, digital payment access — explain the gap.
NationPress
31 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did Kerala's Kudumbashree women farmers earn during Onam 2024?
Kudumbashree women farmers collectively earned ₹10.07 crore during Onam 2024, generated through the sale of vegetables and flowers at more than 2,000 Onam markets held between 20 and 25 August across Kerala.
What are the Onakkani and Nirapolima programmes?
Onakkani and Nirapolima are Kudumbashree agricultural programmes focused on vegetable and flower cultivation respectively. During Onam 2024, Onakkani contributed ₹8.91 crore through over 33,000 farmer groups, while Nirapolima generated ₹1.16 crore through 5,500 groups.
Which district performed best in Kudumbashree's Onam markets?
Thrissur was the top-performing district with a turnover of ₹2.85 crore, followed by Palakkad at ₹1.62 crore and Kannur at ₹85.50 lakh.
Do farmers receive the full sale proceeds from Kudumbashree markets?
Yes, the entire earnings from Kudumbashree Onam markets go directly to the farmers. The model is designed to eliminate middlemen, giving cultivators both direct market access and a festive-season price premium.
What is Kudumbashree and when was it founded?
Kudumbashree is Kerala's flagship women's community network, launched in 1998 as part of the state's poverty eradication and women's empowerment programme. It operates through neighbourhood self-help groups and their federations, and is one of the largest women-centred community organisations in India.
