Context:
India’s agricultural ecosystem is dominated by 100 million small and marginal farmers (SMFs). They face low productivity, inadequate market linkages, and vulnerability to shocks, leading to unstable livelihoods. To overcome structural challenges, FPOs have emerged as pivotal institutions transforming household-level subsistence farming into market-oriented agriculture.
Evolution and Role of FPOs
- FPOs as Economic Collectives:
- Introduced in early 2000s to enhance farmer incomes, improve market access, and build bargaining power by consolidating SMFs into producer enterprises.
- Current Scale and Reach:
- Over 33,000 registered FPOs in India.
- 66% are less than 4 years old, earning ₹700–800 per member annually.
- Supported by the Central Sector Scheme (CSS) to promote 10,000 FPOs.
- Key Contributions:
- Livelihood development, food security, and social mobilisation.
- Transition to market-linked, diversified and climate-resilient agriculture.
- Strengthening backward-forward linkages via Producer Groups (PGs) and Agricultural Production Clusters (APCs).
- Empowerment through women-led FPOs (e.g., 84 all-women FPOs supported by PRADAN across 7 states).
Institutional Support and Innovations
- Centre of Excellence (FPORC) by PRADAN:
Supports FPOs in business planning, governance, financial linkages, and compliance.- Aligns grassroots efforts with national policies under the CSS for 10,000 FPOs.
- Strategic Shifts in FPO Functioning:
- Acting as input-output managers, value chain facilitators, and community-based planners.
- Bridging systemic gaps in rural markets and enabling climate-smart and sustainable agriculture.
Persistent Challenges Faced by FPOs
| Domain | Challenges |
|---|---|
| Revenue & Scale | Most plateau at ₹25–45 lakh annual revenue; 20–30% member engagement |
| Business Model | Lack of innovation, unclear profitability strategies |
| Finance & Investment | Weak share capital mobilisation, low credit access, thin margins |
| Workforce | Low-skilled or underpaid CEOs/Managers; capacity constraints |
| Institutional Maturity | Fragmented support across states, compliance burden |
Recommendations and Way Forward
- Financial Deepening:
- Enable low-cost instruments: Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), carbon credit markets, social stock exchanges, blended finance.
- Capacity Building:
- Invest in CEO/managerial training, handholding support from resource institutions, mentoring from successful FPOs.
- Technology Integration:
- Promote digital tools, traceability, and market intelligence systems.
- Private Sector Partnership:
- Corporate India must partner in input procurement, aggregation, warehousing, value addition, and retail partnerships.
- Women Empowerment:
- Expand women-led FPOs with tailored capacity building, leadership training, and linkages to health and nutrition initiatives.
- State-Level Ecosystem Development:
- Encourage state governments to create dedicated FPO cells, integrate FPOs with state agri-policies, and support onboarding into eNAM and MSP procurement.
