Constraints faced by the farmers and officials of FPOs and their suggestions to overcome the constraints

Introduction

Since the beginning of human civilization, agriculture has played a fundamental role in sustaining livelihoods, supporting economic progress, and ensuring food security. Even in the contemporary global economy, the agricultural sector continues to be a major contributor to employment, rural livelihoods, and socioeconomic development. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recognizes agriculture as a principal source of livelihood for rural populations and an important component of economic development in many countries. In a similar context, the World Bank (2021) highlighted that agricultural growth has considerable potential to alleviate rural poverty and may contribute more effectively to poverty reduction than growth in several other sectors. Sen (1999) viewed development as a process of expanding human capabilities and creating greater access to economic opportunities, particularly for socially and economically vulnerable sections of rural society. The increasing integration of agriculture with markets has created a need for institutional arrangements that can strengthen the economic position of small and marginal farmers. In this regard, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) have emerged as an important collective institutional mechanism. According to Trebbin and Hassler (2012), FPOs provide an institutional platform through which small farmers can collectively engage with modern agricultural markets and improve their competitive position. Recognizing the importance of such collective organizations in agricultural development, the Government of India introduced the Central Sector Scheme for the Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations, supported by a financial outlay of ₹6,865 crore up to 2027-28. The principal objectives of the scheme include strengthening the collective bargaining capacity of farmers, facilitating access to remunerative markets, encouraging value addition, and improving farm income through cluster-based business organizations. The scheme further promotes the "One District One Product" (ODOP) approach to encourage specialization in locally suitable agricultural products and facilitate the development of integrated agricultural value chains (Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, 2021). FPOs can provide farmers with several economic and institutional advantages by enabling collective purchase of inputs, aggregation of produce, access to technical services, improved marketing opportunities, and stronger negotiation with buyers. NABARD reports have indicated that such collective institutions can contribute to the transformation of traditional subsistence farming into commercially oriented and economically viable production systems through economies of scale and improved institutional efficiency. However, the potential of FPOs is often constrained by a range of organizational and operational difficulties. These include inadequate managerial expertise, insufficient financial resources, limited involvement of members, weak governance practices, inadequate physical infrastructure, poor market connectivity, and insufficient awareness among farmers. Singh et al. (2021) reported that a number of FPOs encounter difficulties due to inadequate professional management, ineffective coordination among stakeholders, weak business planning capabilities, and insufficient institutional mechanisms required for their long-term sustainability. The Central Plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh has experienced a noticeable expansion of FPOs in recent years, largely in response to the growing emphasis on collective farming institutions, farmer aggregation, and market-led agricultural development. Nevertheless, the success and continuity of these organizations depend considerably on the extent to which farmers understand and participate in their activities. Farmers' awareness, perceptions, attitudes, and willingness to participate are important determinants of the effectiveness of FPOs. In several rural areas, farmers may not possess adequate information about the objectives, organizational structure, functioning, advantages, and management procedures of these organizations. Moreover, socio-economic limitations, inadequate extension services, insufficient communication, limited training opportunities, and weak linkages with supporting institutions may further discourage active participation in FPO activities. Therefore, an empirical assessment of farmers' awareness and attitude towards Farmer Producer Organizations is essential for understanding the extent of farmers' knowledge, their perceptions of collective institutions, and their participation behaviour. Such an assessment can also help identify the major constraints influencing farmers' involvement and the factors affecting the effective functioning of FPOs. The evidence generated through such studies can support policymakers, extension agencies, FPO-promoting institutions, and other stakeholders in developing targeted training programmes, strengthening institutional support, improving communication and market linkages, and enhancing the overall performance, participation, and sustainability of Farmer Producer Organizations.

Research methedology

Research design

The investigation was carried out following an ex-post facto research design, as the variables considered in the study had already occurred naturally and were not subject to manipulation or experimental control by the researcher. Singh (2006) stated that ex-post facto research is primarily concerned with examining existing situations and events to identify possible relationships between different variables. The adoption of this design was appropriate for the present study because the investigation focused on assessing the prevailing awareness and attitude of farmers towards Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and determining their association with selected socio-economic and communication characteristics of the respondents. For the collection of primary information, personal interviews were conducted with the selected respondents using a pre-structured interview schedule. The information obtained through these interviews provided the basis for systematic analysis of the selected variables and their interrelationships. The resulting data were used to identify and interpret the factors associated with farmers' awareness and attitude towards FPOs and to draw relevant conclusions regarding the functioning and acceptance of Farmer Producer Organizations in the Central Plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh.

Locale of the study

The investigation was carried out in the Central Plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh, which constitutes one of the prominent agro-climatic regions of the state. Geographically, Uttar Pradesh is located in northern India and extends from 23°52′ to 30°24′ N latitude and 77°05′ to 84°38′ E longitude.

Selection of the districts

The Central Plain Zone of Uttar Pradesh encompasses fourteen districts, including Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Etawah, Auraiya, Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareilly, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Lucknow. From the total of fourteen districts, Kanpur Nagar, Etawah, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Prayagraj were selected through random sampling for the present investigation. The selected districts reflect varied geographical and agricultural conditions of the Central Plain Zone and have a notable presence of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), making them suitable for the objectives of the study.

Selection of the blocks

For the present investigation, four districts, namely Kanpur Nagar, Etawah, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Prayagraj, were selected. From each selected district, two blocks were purposively selected, resulting in a total of eight blocks. The selected blocks were Shivrajpur and Kalyanpur from Kanpur Nagar, Basrehar and Mahewa from Etawah, Mohammadi and Behjam from Lakhimpur Kheri, and Chaka and Bahadurpur from Prayagraj, respectively.

Selection of the respondents

To facilitate a comparative assessment, 15 farmers who were not members of any Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) were also randomly selected from the same villages or adjoining villages within the selected blocks. These respondents had no formal association or membership with any FPO. The sample was therefore constituted as follows:

FPO member farmers: 15 respondents × 8 FPOs = 120 respondents Non-FPO member farmers: 15 respondents × 8 FPOs = 120 respondents Consequently, the study comprised a total sample of 240 respondents, consisting of 120 FPO member farmers and 120 non-FPO member farmers. The inclusion of both FPO and non-FPO farmers enabled a meaningful comparison of their awareness, attitudes, constraints, and suggestions concerning Farmer Producer Organizations and provided a broader understanding of farmers' perspectives towards FPOs.

Construction of interview schedule

The draft interview schedule was pre-tested with a group of respondents outside the selected sample area to examine its suitability, clarity, and relevance. Based on the observations and suggestions obtained during pre-testing, necessary modifications were incorporated to improve the quality and comprehensibility of the schedule. The final interview schedule consisted of both structured and scale-based questions relevant to the objectives of the study.

Procedure of data collection

The data for the present study were collected through personal interviews with the selected respondents using a structured and pre-tested interview schedule. The interview schedule was originally prepared in English and subsequently translated into Hindi to facilitate better un derstanding of the questions by the respondents and to ensure accurate responses.

Statistical methods used

The data collected from the respondents were carefully scrutinized, coded, classified, and tabulated for appropriate statistical techniques were employed to interpret the data and draw meaningful conclusions in accordance with the objectives of the study. Both descriptive and inferential statistical tools were used for analyzing the collected information. The statistical methods used in the present investigation are Frequency, Percentage, Mean, Standard Deviation, Correlation Coefficient, Multiple Regression Analysis, Rank Order Method, Chisquare Test.

Result and discussion

Constraints faced by farmers in the functioning of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)

. Constraints Faced by Farmers in the Functioning of FPOs

The findings presented in Table 03 revealed that lack of latest market information was the most prominent constraint perceived by farmers in the functioning of FPOs, recording the highest mean score of 2.82 and ranking I, followed by price fluctuation every year (2.79, rank II) and lack of sufficient finance (2.76, rank III). Lower price for produce and distress sale (2.73) and untimely, costly and poor-quality inputs (2.70) occupied IV and V ranks, respectively. Other important constraints included non-availability of timely credit (2.66, rank VI), exploitation by middlemen (2.63, rank VII), lack of awareness about grading and packaging (2.59, rank VIII), lack of proper infrastructure facilities (2.55, rank IX), and payment for produce (2.51, rank X). Difficulties in following recommended practices (2.48, rank XI), high cost of labour (2.45, rank XII), lack of well-developed stor-age facilities (2.42, rank XIII), lack of technical skill among labourers (2.38, rank XIV), and ineffective linkages (2.34, rank XV) occupied the subsequent ranks. Further, lack of coordination among group activities (2.31), computer illiteracy among members (2.28), labour shortage during peak season (2.24), inefficient monitoring (2.20), political affiliation of some members (2.15), non-representation of all sections of society (2.10), and predominance of part-time farmers (2.05) ranked XVI to XXII, respectively. Overall, the findings indicate that market information, price instability, financial constraints, input availability, and marketing-related difficulties were the major reported constraints, whereas organizational and social constraints received comparatively lower mean scores.

Suggestions offered by officials

Officials placed the highest emphasis on strengthening the professional management and managerial capacity of FPOs, which received the highest mean score of 2.91 and Rank I. The second-ranked suggestion was to ensure regular capacity-building and training of FPO board members and staff (2.86, Rank II), followed by improving financial management, record keeping, and statutory compliance (2.79, Rank III). Developing stronger institutional linkages with government departments, banks, and market agencies ranked fourth (2.74), while promoting digital platforms for marketing, accounting, and member communication ranked fifth (2.68). Thus, officials' suggestions mainly focused on strengthening the managerial, financial, institutional, and digital capacities of FPOs, highlighting the importance of professional governance and organizational systems for their effective functioning.

Constraints faced by officials in the functioning of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)

The findings presented in the

Conclusion

References

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