Farming realities: An in-depth exploration of constraints encountered by both member and non-member farmers of FPO constraints encountered by farmers of FPO

Encouraging and supporting member-owned producer organizations is essential to providing farmers with the necessary tools for enhancing productivity through efficient, affordable, and sustainable resource use, ultimately leading to higher returns. These organizations can achieve this through coordinated efforts, backed by government support and successful partnerships with the private sector, academia, research organizations, societal groups, and the public sector. A total of 252 sample farmers were chosen for the study, comprising 126 members and 126 non-member farmers. The research needed to include both primary and secondary data in order to comprehend the effectiveness of farmer-producer associations.

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Introduction

A Farmers Producer Organization (FPO) serves as an example of a Producer Organization (PO), comprising farmers as its members. To encourage the establishment of FPOs, the Small Farmers' Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) provides support. A Farmer Producer Company can be formed by a group of 10 or more primary producers, two or more producer institutions, or a combination of both. These companies, established under the 2013 Indian Companies Act, operate under democratic governance, ensuring that each producer or member holds an equal number of voting rights, irrespective of their shareholding. To secure a farmer's sustainable income, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) play a pivotal role. These key institutions facilitate the rapid dissemination of knowledge and technology through extensive networks of small-scale farmers. Ensuring the long-term viability of FPOs necessitates strategic government intervention. Enhancing the capacity of management teams, fostering internal learning and development within FPOs, expediting credit allocation, and establishing post-harvest infrastructure are among the various approaches to fortify the FPO ecosystem. Encouraging and supporting member-owned producer organizations is essential to providing farmers with the necessary tools for enhancing productivity through efficient, affordable, and sustainable resource use, ultimately leading to higher returns. These organizations can achieve this through coordinated efforts, backed by government support and successful partnerships with the private sector, academia, research organizations, societal groups, and the public sector. To be eligible for benefits under various government schemes and programs, FPOs must be registered and operated by farmers, with a primary focus on activities in the agricultural and related sectors.

Materials and Methods

India now has 7374 FPOs registered, with Maharashtra having the highest number at 1940. Due to the higher number of FPO registrations, the Western Maharashtra region was specifically chosen for the study. Pune, Sangli, Satara, and Solapur districts in Western Maharashtra were specifically chosen for the study because they have larger areas dedicated to pomegranate cultivation. Seven Farmer Producer Organizations were purposefully chosen based on district. Seven Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) were specifically chosen from the aforementioned district, as these FPOs have completed five years of operation. Seven FPOs in all three from Pune, two from Sangli, one from Satara, and one from Solapur were chosen because their case studies effectively demonstrated effectiveness and were evaluable. Pomegranate was the main crop grown by this FPO, hence it was chosen for the study because most pomegranate growers are members of the FPO. Due to similar climatic circumstances, 18 non-member farmers were chosen from the same area as 18 member farmers from each FPO. A total of 252 sample farmers were chosen for the study, comprising 126 members and 126 non-member farmers. The research needed to include both primary and secondary data in order to comprehend the effectiveness of farmer-producer associations. www.extensionjournal.com

Analytical Tools

Using Garret's ranking technique, restrictions faced by both non-member and member farmers were analyzed. The Garrett's table, the percent positions were converted into scores. Thus for each factor, the scores of the various respondents were added and then mean values were estimated. The attributes with the highest value was considered as the most important one and the other followed in order.

Percent Position = 100(Rij-0.5)/Nj Where, Rij stands for rank given for the ith factor (i= 1, 2...10) by the jth individual (j=1, 2...40) Nj stands for several factors ranked by jth individual.

Results and Discussion

Constraints faced by member and non-member farmers Constraints are limitations, restrictions, or factors that impede or restrict the ability to accomplish a task, achieve a goal, or perform a particular action. In the context of FPO pomegranate farming, there can be various constraints that affect the production. Identifying and understanding these constraints is crucial for developing strategies, policies, and interventions to support farmers and improve agricultural productivity. So attempt had been made to identify constraints and ranked by Garrets ranking technique.

Constraints faced by FPO member Farmers

The constraints faced by member farmers of FPO in production of pomegranate were depicted in table1.The production constraints faced by member farmers were presented in rank according to Garrett's ranking technique. There were ten major constraints in pomegranate cultivation of member farmers as stated by the sample farmers. The results from the table revealed that lack of co-ordination for different group activities was the major problem faced by sample Member farmers, ranked first with Garrett's score 54.42. It was found to be a major constraint in the study area. The second major problem faced by sample farmer was inadequate profit for individual member and their Garrett's score is 53.54. Ignorance of member security was another major constraints faced with 52.42 Garrett's score. and labor training could be potential solutions to address these challenges. Low product prices were identified as a constraint, which could negatively impact the income of member farmers. Addressing this constraint may involve exploring market diversification, value addition, and negotiating power enhancement. Similar results were found by Kumar and Singh (2020) [6] , Gokul et al., (2019) [18] , Tiwari and Upadhyay (2021) [19] , Verma et al., (2021) [16] and Chopade et al., (2019) [2] conducted study on Constraints of Farmer Producer Organization

Sr. No.	Constraint	Total Garrett Score	Mean Score	Rank
1	Inadequate profit for individual member	6746	53.54	II
2	Lack of credit facilities	6434	51.06	V
3	Lack of information on schemes of FPO	6447	51.17	IV
4	Lack of crop insurance policy	6211	49.29	VII
5	Unavailability and high cost of labour	5488	43.56	IX
6	Ignorance of member security	6605	52.42	III
7	Lower price of the products	5374	42.65	X
8	Lack of coordination for different group activities	6843	54.31	I
9	Increased workload	6200	49.21	VIII
10	Political influence	6400	50.79	VI

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Garrett’s Ranking for constraints perceived by FPO Member Farmer

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Constraints faced by Non-Member farmer

The constraints faced by non-member farmers of in production of pomegranate were depicted in Non-members were worried about the volatility and uncertainty in agricultural product prices. Price fluctuations could have been affected their income and financial planning. Strategies might be included market diversification, price hedging, or establishing market linkages to mitigate price uncertainty. Non-member farmers recognized the importance of technical knowledge in modern agriculture. Lack of access to information and expertise might be hindered their ability to optimize their farming practices. Efforts to provide training, extension services, and knowledge-sharing platforms could have been empowered non-members with necessary skills.

The cost of pricey supplies and fertilizers worried nonmember farmers since it may have a big impact on their production costs. Reduced profitability and economic viability for non-members may have resulted from high input costs. One way to have overcome this limitation would have been to encourage economical farming methods or to subsidize inputs. Farmers who were not members of FPO acknowledged that labour related issues arose in their farming operations. The timely completion of duties and productivity may be impacted by these issues. [20] , Rede et al., (2018) [10] and Thombre et al., (2020) [15] .

Conclusion

The conclusion was that, while still in their infancy, Farmer Producers Organizations (FPOs) were advantageous to farmers. Several significant barriers to FPO, including lack of co-ordination for different group activities, inadequate profit for individual member, ignorance of member security, lack of information on schemes of FPO and Lack of credit facilities, were identified in the study. The study justified that the organisation is sustainable and are still in the growing phase. Interpreting these rankings helps in reflecting on the challenges that non-member farmers faced and the potential strategies that could have been implemented to address these constraints. Policymakers, agricultural organizations, and non-member farmers were all made aware of these barriers and potential solutions to collaborate on improving the productivity and resilience of the agricultural sector. The results underscored the significance of customized interventions and assistance in mitigating these limitations, ultimately resulting in enhanced means of subsistence for non-member farmers.

Recommendation

▪ Improving the leadership and managerial abilities of the FPO board of directors, members, and CEOs who continue to work for the organization. It is also required of them to offer certificate programs, training courses, etc. NIAM, BIRD, NIFTEM, MANAGE, and VAMNICOM are among the organizations holding the Sectors Skill Counselling Certificate, along with centers for entrepreneurship education and colleges catering to the agricultural sector. ▪ Legal reform must be implemented to establish a business-friendly atmosphere that enables farmers' collectives to transact in contemporary, export-focused marketplaces.

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Sampling Design

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Sr. No.	Constraint	Total Garrett Score	Mean Score	Rank
1	High cost of fertilizers and other inputs	6488	51.49	IV
2	Lack of quality storage facility	5839	46.34	VIII
3	Lack of technical knowledge	6576	52.19	III
4	Oily Spot attack difficult to control	7094	56.30	I
5	Uncertainty of prices	6855	54.40	II
6	Labour problems	6459	51.26	V
7	Intercultural operations are more expensive	5595	44.40	X
8	Difficulty to getting branded insecticide and pesticides	5968	47.37	VI
9	Load shading in electric supply	5841	46.36	VII
10	High Transportation costs	5781	45.88	IX

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Garrett’s ranking for constraints perceived by non - member farmers

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