Assessment of planning and supervising ability among members of Agnigarh producer company limited: Evidence from commercial litchi cultivation in Assam

Introduction

Cooperatives in India have largely been promoted by the state with a primary focus on welfare rather than commercial viability, which has often limited their efficiency and sustainability (Prabhakar et al., 2012) [10] . Recognizing these challenges, the Government of India constituted a high-powered committee in 1999 under the chairmanship of Y. K. Alagh to recommend reforms for farmer organizations. The committee, in its 2002 report, proposed restructuring cooperatives into a hybrid model combining the features of cooperatives and corporate entities. As a result, the concept of Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) was introduced through amendments to Section 581 of the Companies Act, 1956 in 2003. These entities were envisioned to empower farmers by enabling collective action, improved governance, and better access to markets. An FPC is thus defined as a company formed by primary producers who come together to undertake production, processing and marketing activities collectively (Barman, 2021) [1] . There is an increasing need to enhance farmers' access to improved technologies, institutional credit, quality inputs and efficient markets to ensure higher productivity and income. Awareness and adoption of climate-resilient agrotechnologies play a crucial role in achieving sustainable agricultural growth (Barman et al., 2024) [2] . In this context, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) have emerged as an effective institutional mechanism to strengthen the economic position of small, marginal and landless farmers by improving their bargaining power and market linkages. To promote this approach, the Government of India launched the Central Sector Scheme titled "Formation and Promotion of 10,000 FPOs," with a financial outlay of ₹6,865 crore. Under this initiative, several FPCs have been www.extensionjournal.com established across the country, including 25 FPCs in Assam up to 2022 with financial support from National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. These FPCs receive technical and handholding support from Assam Agricultural University, along with assistance from Cluster-Based Business Organizations (CBBOs) and the Programme Implementation Unit (PIU) located at Kahikuchi, Guwahati (PIB, 2021). The present study focuses on members of Agnigarh Producer Company Limited, situated in the Sonitpur district of Assam, which specializes in commercial litchi cultivation. Litchi is a high-value horticultural crop with specific climatic requirements, restricting its cultivation to select tropical and subtropical regions. India ranks as the second-largest producer of litchi globally, following China and the crop plays a significant role in providing livelihood security by generating both on-farm and off-farm employment opportunities (Sahni et al., 2020) [12] . During 2020-21, India produced approximately 720,200 metric tons of litchi from an area of 98,000 hectares, while Assam contributed about 60,181 metric tons from 6,095 hectares (Statistical Handbook of Assam, 2022) [16] . Among the litchi-growing regions of Assam, Tezpur is particularly renowned for its superior quality produce and distinct horticultural characteristics. The region cultivates several popular varieties such as Bombay, Bilati, Shahi, Elaichi, Piyaji and China. Tezpur litchi is highly valued for its excellent flavor, attractive color, juicy pulp and small seed size, which distinguish it from other varieties grown in India. Owing to these unique attributes, Tezpur litchi was granted the Geographical Indication status in 2015 (Gogoi et al., 2020) [4] . Following this recognition, the domestic demand for the crop has increased substantially, highlighting the urgent need to enhance its production and productivity within the state to meet growing market demand.

Methodology

The present study was conducted in 2023 in Sonitpur district, which was selected purposively due to the presence of a Farmer Producer Company engaged in commercial litchi cultivation, namely Agnigarh Producer Company Limited. A total sample of 80 respondents was drawn from 13 selected villages using a proportionate random sampling technique to ensure adequate representation. Primary data were collected through personal interviews with the help of a structured and pre-tested research schedule. The data collection period extended from February 2023 to June 2023. In accordance with the objectives of the study, a total of 19 variables were considered, comprising 18 independent variables and one dependent variable. The independent variables included age, education level, size of operational landholding, area under litchi cultivation, annual net farm income, litchi yield, farm mechanization, irrigated area under litchi cultivation, level of farm wage payment related to litchi cultivation, experience in litchi cultivation, social participation, adoption of recommended litchi production technology, achievement motivation, orientation towards competition, attitude towards modern agriculture, risk orientation, extension contact and exposure to training on litchi cultivation. The dependent variable of the study was the planning ability and supervising ability of the members of Agnigarh Producer Company Limited, which was measured using the managerial ability scale developed by Jadav (2005) [5] . The planning ability indicator consisted of nine statements with a maximum score of 27 and a scale value of 8.35. The supervising ability indicator consisted of eleven statements with a maximum score of 12 and a scale value of 6.19. The managerial ability index (MAI) for the planning ability and supervising ability indicator was computed using the following formula:

Results and Discussion

Socio-economic and psychological profile of the respondents

The socio-economic and psychological profile of the respondents of Agnigarh Producer Company Limited in Sonitpur district revealed that the majority were middleaged (43.75%) with a mean age of 46.42 years and most had attained higher secondary education (41.25%), indicating a relatively educated farming community. which is in line with findings of Shinde et al. (2020) [14] , Thakuria et al.

(2024) [17] . The respondents were predominantly small (41.25%) and marginal farmers (33.75%) with an average landholding of 1.77 ha and half of them (50.00%) cultivated litchi on 0.10-1.5 ha reflecting small-scale commercial orientation. which is in line with findings of Kumar et al.

(2015) [8] , Bhoyar et al. (2020) [3] . A majority exhibited medium levels of annual farm income (60.00%), litchi yield (60.00%), farm mechanization (70.00%) and irrigated area (77.50%), suggesting moderate resource availability and productivity. which is in line with findings of Li et al.

(2020) [9] . Similarly, most respondents showed medium www.extensionjournal.com levels of wage payment (80.00%) and farming experience (53.75% with 9-19 years). which is in line with findings of Jakkawad et al. (2017) [6] . In terms of social and behavioural attributes, a considerable proportion had membership in at least one organization (55.00%), medium adoption of recommended litchi production technologies (70.00%), medium achievement motivation (68.75%), moderate competition orientation (67.50%), favorable attitude towards modern agriculture (63.75%) and medium levels of risk orientation (67.50%), extension contact (63.75%) and training exposure (50.00%). which is in line with findings of Singh et al. (2020) [15] , Saryam and Jirli (2020) [13] . The coefficient of variation indicated relative homogeneity in variables such as age, education, farm mechanization and adoption behavior, while heterogeneity was observed in landholding size, irrigated area, wage payment and training exposure.

Planning Ability of the members of Agnigarh Producer Company Limited

Findings revealed that majority of the respondents (63.75%) had medium level of planning ability, followed by 25.00 per cent of the respondents had low level of planning ability and 11.25 per cent of the respondents had high level of planning ability. This finding was in agreement with the findings of Kumar et al. (2021) [7] . The mean planning ability score (53.74) indicated that on an average the respondents had low level of planning ability with standard deviation of 24.39. The value of co-efficient of variation (45.39) indicated that the respondents were relatively heterogeneous with respect to their planning ability.

Supervising ability of the members of Agnigarh Producer Company Limited

Findings revealed that majority of the respondents (72.50%) had medium level supervising ability, followed by 16.25 per cent of the respondents had high level of supervising ability and 11.25 per cent of the respondents had low level of supervising ability. The mean supervising ability score (70.93) indicated that on an average the respondents had high level of supervising ability with standard deviation of 19.98. The value of co-efficient of variation (28.17) indicated that the respondents were relatively homogeneous with respect to their supervising ability

Conclusion

The study highlights the diverse socio-economic and psychological profile of members of Agnigarh Producer Company Limited engaged in commercial litchi cultivation in Assam. The majority of respondents were middle-aged, educated up to higher secondary level and belonged to marginal and small landholding categories indicating a predominantly smallholder production system. Most respondents exhibited medium levels of annual farm income, litchi yield and farm mechanization suggesting moderate productivity and resource utilization. A www.extensionjournal.com considerable proportion had adequate experience in litchi cultivation along with medium levels of social participation, achievement motivation, risk orientation, attitude towards modern agriculture and exposure to training, reflecting a favorable environment for adoption of improved practices. With regard to managerial competencies, the findings revealed that the majority of respondents possessed a medium level of planning ability with a relatively low mean score and high variability indicating inconsistency in planning skills among members. In contrast, supervising ability was found to be relatively stronger with most respondents exhibiting a medium to high level and a comparatively higher mean score with lower variability indicating greater uniformity and efficiency in supervising farm operations. This suggests that while farmers are capable of effectively managing and supervising routine agricultural activities, they face limitations in strategic planning and decision-making processes. The study underscores the need for targeted capacity-building programmes, skill-oriented training and extension interventions to strengthen planning ability while further enhancing supervising skills among FPC members. Improving these managerial competencies can lead to better farm management, efficient resource utilization and increased productivity in commercial litchi cultivation. Support from government agencies and institutions in the form of timely guidance, technical assistance and access to modern inputs and machinery will further empower farmers to adopt scientific practices. However, the study is limited to a single district and one FPC due to constraints of time and resources. Therefore, future research should include multiple districts across different agro-climatic zones with larger sample sizes to generate more comprehensive and generalizable findings.

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