The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) of the Government of India, in collaboration with the Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), recently conducted a one-day National Workshop on Formation and Promotion of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs). The workshop aimed to address the challenges faced by marginal farmers and emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach towards supporting them and developing the entire value chain.
The Presiding address was delivered by Manoj Ahuja, the Secretary of MoA&FW. He highlighted the crucial role played by effective leadership and a clear vision in establishing and achieving the goals of supporting marginal farmers. Secretary Ahuja emphasized that the primary objective of FPOs should be the development of the entire value chain, rather than focusing solely on production.
During the workshop, Kidwai stressed the importance of monitoring by Implementing Agencies (IAs) of Cluster-Based Business Organizations (CBBOs). He also emphasized the need for sensitizing government functionaries and facilitating FPOs in obtaining licenses and bank finance through government agencies.
The technical sessions of the workshop were initiated by the Additional Secretary and Managing Director of SFAC, Dr. Maninder Kaur Dwivedi, who shared the current status of the scheme and presented the roadmap for major indicators. The technical sessions covered various themes related to FPOs. B Sivarani from Salem Veerapandi Vattara Kalanjiam and Ashish Naphade from Krushi Vikas VaGramin Prashikshan Sanstha shared their experiences in successfully mobilizing farmers, providing valuable insights that could be replicated by other CBBOs.
The workshop also focused on enabling market linkages for FPOs. Presentations were made on the Online National Agriculture Market (ONDC), showcasing the successful integration of more than 900 FPOs. Signcatch highlighted the business-to-business (B2B) linkages that could be adopted by other FPOs. Aland Bhootai Millets Farmers Producer Company, ORMAS, and Koriya Agro Producer Company shared their success stories of establishing market linkages for FPOs.
Additionally, Satmile Satish Club O Pathagar and DVARA E-Registry showcased innovative instances of local value addition by FPOs, inspiring participants with their entrepreneurial approaches. The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation (TRIFED) presented its schemes and experiences in promoting tribal FPOs and facilitating market linkages.
NABSANRAKSHAN, a subsidiary of NABARD, provided details of their credit guarantee scheme and highlighted successful examples of FPOs availing of guarantees under the scheme. The workshop was attended by more than 100 participants, including Secretaries, Commissioners, and Directors of Agriculture from 17 states and union territories. Representatives from 15 Project Implementing Agencies, both at the central and state government levels, were also present.
The workshop concluded with an open session, where key operational aspects of the scheme were discussed. Participants expressed appreciation for the initiative of sharing information and examples, as it fosters cross-learning and collaboration among all entities involved in promoting FPOs.
