Ukai Tapi Fisherman Farmers Producer Company Limited

This group started because the folks around Sherula and Songadh needed a way to work together. We are based out of Vijaybhai Umbriyabhai Vasava’s place. It is a local effort, mostly fishermen and farmers from the Ukai Tapi area. We don't have a big office building or anything fancy. We usually meet up at the house or out by the water to talk about what needs doing for the week. It is a lot of talk about fish, crops, and how to get a fair price for everyone involved. Everyone here knows each other. We grew up in these villages. Some days the catch is good, other days it is not. The same goes for the harvest. We try to help each other out with tools or advice when things get tough. It isn't a fancy business. There are no suits here. Most of us are in the fields or on the boats most of the day. We have meetings to figure out the paperwork and the government stuff, which can be a real headache sometimes. I handle some of the writing and the phone calls. My neighbor helps with the accounts. It is a slow process building something like this from the ground up, but we are doing it bit by bit. The roads out here in Tal Songadh can get very muddy when it rains, so we don't get many visitors from the city. We just stay focused on our own community and our own work.