By using collective power and negotiating ability to access services, technologies, and financial and non-financial inputs, lower transaction costs, access high-value markets, and form more equitable partnerships with private companies, FPOs or Farmer Producer Organizations have successfully maintained a track record of addressing a variety of issues faced by farmers, especially small farmers.
In India, we have many FPOs but in this article we will talk about the major FPOs in the country. Let's check
Indian Organic Farmers Producer Company Ltd
In Aluva, Kerala, a farming cooperative called The Indian Organic Farmer Producer Company Ltd. produces organic products. The company, which charges a patronage fee of Rs. 40,000 per share, only accepts participation from growers who have received organic certification. As a result, a stakeholder with one share can use the business to offer organic goods worth up to Rs. 40,000. Regardless of how many shares a person purchases, they will only be able to cast one vote.
The business offers assistance to farmers with resource mapping and assessment (primarily for soil and water), resource sustainability, and scientific production methods.
"Healthy People, Wealthy Farmers, Healthy and Wealthy Nation" is the company's motto. One of the company's long-term objectives is to secure environmental funding from global groups that support fair trade and are pro-farmers.
Vanilla India Producer Company Ltd (VANILCO)
Vanilla India Producer Company Ltd (VANILCO) was developed to represent the long-term interests of vanilla farmers by the Kerala-based Indian Producers Movement (Infarm), a nonprofit organization with over one lakh farmer members. To produce and commercialize the highest-quality vanilla beans and extracts, VANILCO works with vanilla farmers.
In order to ensure considerable earnings and bonuses for its shareholders and to influence the market through pool procurement, the corporation buys, processes, and expertly markets the products of its members.
Chetna Organic Agriculture
The Chetna Organic & Fair-Trade Cotton Intervention Program was launched in 2004 as a composite pilot on organic/non-pesticide management (NPM) and fair-trade supply chain development in response to India's agrarian crisis. By improving their farm systems' sustainability and profitability and giving them access to markets for ethical and fair-trade cotton, the aim was to broaden the range of livelihood options available to smallholder farmers.
Not out of altruistic, but in order to give farmers more agency by involving them in the creation of an ethical cotton supply chain supported by global cooperation through its triple-bottom-line goals, which believe in ecological and social sustainability and are self-sustaining enterprises by making small, non-exploitative profits.
These farmers have been organized into 13 district-level co-operatives because the focus has been on farmer empowerment and community entrepreneurship. These co-ops are responsible for all local-level initiatives of their member farmers, including capacity building through Chetna Organic support, local government connections, and the creation of community-owned infrastructure, among other things.
AMUL
The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, better known as AMUL, the largest and most successful producer-owned cooperative organization in the nation, reportedly planned to change its legal structure to become a producer business in May 2006. But given that it hasn't been converted yet, it might be giving the idea further thought. A major initiative to change the organizational paradigm and transform AMUL, a cooperative society, into a producer corporation was initiated in May 2006. The proposed change aims to liberate people from cooperatives' restrictions.
The Junagarh Dairy
Under the direction of the Development Support Centre, Ahmedabad, a producer company has been established in Dari, Amreli District, with ten watershed development groups from ten villages engaged in the supply of agricultural inputs and technology.
The goals of the company are to continue the business of producing, harvesting, procuring, grading, pooling, handling, marketing, selling, and exporting primary products, such as groundnuts, oilseeds, grains, and other agro products, for the benefit of the members, to provide mutual aid and technical consultancy services, and to offer insurance coverage. Other objectives of the organization include offering profitable lending options to farmers and welfare systems or amenities for members.
Samarth Kisan
It is the DPIP PC with the highest capitalization. The PC provides inputs and participates in the production of wheat and soybean seeds. In 2008, PC launched an improved soybean system with the help of Solidaridad's Soy Producer Support Initiative. (SOYPSI). Solidaridad aims to enhance the living conditions of farmers and workers within the SOYPSI. It provides a premium in addition to technical support, generating more income and reducing environmental problems.
Farmers and farmer organizations are given aid in creating farmer institutions as well as assistance with environmental and social issues. In three years, the project seeks to increase the productivity of around 6000 soy family farmers by at least 12% while using fewer inputs. In the initial phase, about 3000 farmers were trained.
Sagar Samridhi Crop
The main activities of the corporation are the supply of inputs and the manufacture of soybean and wheat seeds. They have agreements with 20 of their member farmers to produce seeds each season, and they purchase seeds at a discount from the market price. It also owns its own seed processing machinery, which it paid for out of pocket in 2007 in the amount of Rs. 2.7 lakh.
It has a formal agreement for the provision of inputs with the state's Markfed and Devidayal seeds, but they are only permitted to sell the inputs through the DPIP's Project Facilitating Teams (PFTs) and other Cooperative Societies.
For instance, the cooperatives in Sagar are informed by the DPIP's 7 PFTs about the need for inputs in their villages. The PFTs then distribute the requested quantity of inputs to the farmers in order to collect payment from them, after which the cooperatives supply it to them.
Khajurao Crop
It is the only cooperative that consists of 99 villages and has 140 CIGs owning 23% of the shares. The primary activities of the corporation are the delivery of agricultural inputs and seed production. In 2007 the state government donated 0.7 hectares of land for a vegetable nursery, which is also included in the property. It only purchases seeds from 100 farmers each season.
It also gives members instructions and examples on how to employ new tools, technology, and techniques for producing better harvests. Equipment including seed-mixing drums, bullock-drawn seed-cumulative fertilizer drills, and pesticide safety kits are provided to SOYPSI along with instructions.
Nowgoan Crop
Seed production and input supply are the organization's main objectives. Through the Agha Khan Foundation (AKF), it paid Rs. 1 lakh for 0.4 hectares of land from HRITIKA in 2007 and then constructed a nursery there to cultivate vegetable seedlings. It selects 30 members each season to produce seeds from, then collects the seeds.
Ramraja Crop
Production of wheat, soybean, gram, and urd seed as well as the provision of inputs are the company's main businesses. It selects 32 farmers for the production of wheat and gram seeds in the Rabi season and 22 farmers for the production of soybean seeds in the Kharif season. Farmers with at least 1 hectare of land and a reputation for reliability are chosen to produce seeds. Farmers receive subsidies for inputs.
For instance, as part of a program to provide subsidies, the company gave out spray pumps and seed drills. Additionally, inspectors go to the fields to conduct inspections every 15 days. They give farmers information on how to adopt cutting-edge crop management methods that are novel and innovative.
After harvesting the seed crop, farmers gather it and put it in the cooperative's bag. It visits their fields, weighs the crop, and gathers it. The cooperative pays for packing, shipping, loading, and unloading. The previous operation costs roughly Rs. 15 per quart of labor. Breeder seed production costs Rs. 100 more than the going rate, and certified seed production costs Rs. 50 more.
Participatory Irrigation Management, Khargone
In order to construct irrigation canals, ASA started the Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) Project in Khargone in 2003. The project was partially supported by the participating farms, the Canadian government, and the MP government. The undertaking continued until 2007. In order to raise money, ASA started encouraging individual farmers to organize PCs in December 2008. They didn't create any SHGs or Farmer Business Groups (FBGs). Instead, they worked closely together one-on-one with the farmers. This PC in MP did not get the DPIP award, in contrast to other PCs.
Sirojan Crop
It is the first registered PC in MP. Prior to the founding of PC, PRADAN formed soybean farmers' Common Interest Groups (CIG), each with 5-8 members. In order to cultivate higher-quality soybeans in 40 villages as common interest groups and gain funding for better agricultural practices and soybean cultivation promotion, they established the Soybean Oil Growers Association (SOGA).
They purchased seed from SOPA, gave 5 kg of seed to every one of the 100 farmers, and inspired those who grew conventional seeds. After seeing the advantages of working together, they made the decision to create a single business and register.
PRADAN
In the Sironj block in the Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh, 80 percent of the population is employed in agriculture. Crop yields, however, are much lower than the state and national averages because 70% of the land is not irrigated. PRADAN, an NGO, implemented the Madhya Pradesh Poverty Initiative Programme Phase 1 (MPDPIP). In addition to irrigation infrastructure, this project included soybean, wheat, and gram crop productivity increases for socioeconomically underdeveloped communities.
By establishing Common Interest Groups (CIGs), providing financial support for motors, pumps, pipes, and wells, and working on a seed scheme in five villages, PRADAN assisted farmers in developing irrigation assets. PRADAN set out to create a suitable producer institution after realizing the value of technical know-how and high-quality inputs in agriculture for enhancing livelihoods. The MPDPIP project and the Government of Madhya Pradesh both supported the idea of constructing a PC, which was put forth by the PRADAN team leader and other officials.
Sagar Shri Mahila Dugd Utpadak
Since 2001, SRIJAN has been employed by the MP-DPIP project in the Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh's Jaisinagar block. There were discovered farmers' CIGs known as "Linked self-help groups." During the first phase, DPIP released about 700 buffaloes in this region. The low-income households in this area lacked even a plot of land for farming. SRIJAN thought about establishing dairy farmer CIGs as a result.
The high prevalence of caste in this region was another factor in the decision to choose dairy. Dairy is the only occupation available to people of all castes; all other vocations, such as poultry, are restricted to people of specific castes. Women's advancement has always been a top priority for SRIJAN, which is why the PC was created just for women. SRIJAN suggested creating a PC with MP-assistance DPIPs to assist these dairy farmers in marketing their milk.
Farmer Crop Care
An Rs. 11 lakh authorized capital was used to launch the PC in 2009. There are now 30 shareholders instead of 11 previously. It had 11 members when it first began, and it had Rs. 3 lakh in paid-up capital. Now, it has 30 members and Rs. 10,424,000.
The chairman of the PC has been working in the cement and agricultural supplies industries since 1990. In addition, he oversees the 100-member Saurashtra Farmers Welfare Association and the Bundle Onion Grower Cooperative Federation.
The BOGCF has 30 members and has existed since 1952. A commerce graduate with a 6-hectare landholding is the main promoter. The PC has six directors, and its members own an average of 4 hectares of land, with individual members owning anything between 0.8 and 6 hectares (table 19). Non-members own 90% of the company.
