India, a developing country heavily reliant on the
agricultural sector, has witnessed the emergence of farmer-producer
organisations (FPOs) as a vital tool to promote agricultural commercialisation,
foster economic growth, improve farmers' socio-economic status, and enable
small and marginal farmers to access organised value chains, strengthen their
bargaining power, and mitigate market risks. The present study was conducted to
investigate the demographic profile of FPOs members, their effectiveness in group
dynamics and their perceived constraints in the Lower Brahmaputra Valley Zone
(LBVZ) of Assam, comprising six districts viz., Kamrup, Bongaigaon, Nalbari,
Chirang, Barpeta and Goalpara. In doing so, it utilised the descriptive
research design following an ex-post-facto approach to fulfil the objectives of
the study. A total of eight FPOs promoted by Assam Agricultural University
through CBBO-AAU and World Bank-supported APART project were selected
purposively. From each FPO, 15 active members were approached for data
collection through a personal interview method during 2022, which made 120 the
final sample size. The data were statistically analysed in terms of mean,
standard deviation (SD), and coefficient of variation (CV). The analysis of
profile characteristics of the respondents revealed that majority of the
respondents (FPOs members) in study areas were middle aged (66.67%) between 29
to 50 years with education level from high school to graduate/ above (80.83%),
64.17 percent were from small family size upto 4 members, 90.83 percent of the
respondents had medium level of annual income (i.e. Rs 33190-379866.6), 46.67
percent had medium level of socio- political participation and 38.33 percent
low and 35.83 percent high levels of material possession. The study also found
that lack of co-ordination for different group activities, ineffective linkage
and ineffective monitoring, lack of professional management, non-availability
of timely credit and inadequate access to credit, weak financial position, absence
of adequate market linkage, lack of storage facilities, distance from existing
markets, lack of market information, lack of marketing knowledge and skills and
difficulty in getting skilled labour were the perceived problems faced by FPO
members in effective functioning of FPOs. The study highlights current
challenges within the FPO system, suggesting policy recommendations for future
development. The findings also offer valuable insights into the transformative
potential of FPOs and inform strategic policy recommendations to ensure their
sustainability in India's agricultural sector. There is an urgent need to train
those involved in FPO management or establish requirements for FPO office
bearers, since the primary limitation on the operations of FPOs is inadequate
professional management. This will support efficient FPO management. To enable
FPO members and office bearers to make appropriate and timely choices, a
suitable capacity-building approach should be used by the concerned
departments.
Author(s) Details
Amrita Singha
District Agricultural Office, Nagaon, Govt. of Assam, India.
J.K. Sharma
Horticultural Research Station, Kahikuchi, Assam Agricultural University,
India.
A.K. Singha
ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute, Zone-VII,
Umiam, Meghalaya, India.
Please see the book here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/nabme/v12/6941
