Insights into the performance of farmer producer companies: An exploratory analysis in kerala, india

Title

Insights into the performance of farmer producer companies: An exploratory analysis in kerala, india

Creator

Augustine D.; Roy N.S.

Description

India faces challenges in farmers well-being due to small land holdings and the absence of an organized agricultural market system, prompting the introduc-tion of initiatives such as the promotion of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) to fortify the agricultural market. However, ambiguity remains over the functioning of such initiatives. This study aims to tackle the aforementioned issue by collecting and analyzing data on the operations of 400 registered Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) in the state of Kerala, India. The analysis focuses on key indicators such as the age of the FPC, paid-up capital, and activity status (whether active or struck-off). A primary survey has also been conducted, both telephonic and face-to-face inter-views, based on convenience, using a semi-structured questionnaire. Both farmers and representatives from FPCs are interviewed. The issues discussed are marketing assistance, input sales, type of services offered, managerial capacities, etc. The study finds that not all registered FPCs effectively improve the welfare of farmers. The most common service FPCs provide is marketing, which helps increase product sales through collective bargaining power and access to higher-paying markets. FPCs that engage in contract farming, sell through supermarkets, or explore inter-state or inter-national markets are more successful in increasing farmers revenues than those that only use traditional market chains. However, it is important to note that FPCs face several challenges, including a lack of infrastructure and support, limited access to credit, and a lack of skilled and trained staff. These essential factors must be addressed for FPCs to achieve their full potential. The Author(s).

Source

Studies in Systems, Decision and Control, Vol-525, pp. 749-766.

Date

2024-01-01

Publisher

Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH

Subject

Agricultural cooperatives; Farmer producer companies (FPCs); FPC in Kerala; Smallholder farmers; Sustainable agriculture

Coverage

Augustine D., Department of Economics, Christ (Deemed to Be University), Bangalore, India; Roy N.S., Department of Economics, Christ (Deemed to Be University), Bangalore, India

Rights

Restricted Access

Relation

ISSN: 21984182

Format

Online

Language

English

Type

Book chapter

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54383-8_58

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85200564278&doi=10.1007%2f978-3-031-54383-8_58&partnerID=40&md5=8f352e863067f439ce8aeaa27b42a1da