A high-level Committee has been constituted to review the functioning of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in Tamil Nadu and recommend measures to enhance their scale, sustainability and outreach, with major institutions such as NABARD and NAFED playing a central role in the exercise.
The initiative follows the intervention of Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who took note of the challenges faced by FPOs during his recent visit to Erode, Tamil Nadu. He directed that timely and concrete action be taken through a comprehensive, field-oriented assessment of the issues affecting these farmer collectives.
The Committee brings together a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including representatives from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), SFAC–Tamil Nadu, ICAR–National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB), FPO representatives, non-governmental organizations, and officials from the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. The diverse composition is aimed at ensuring a holistic review of both institutional and field-level challenges.
The panel will examine a wide range of issues impacting FPO performance. These include institutional governance and management practices, business operations and long-term sustainability, technical support and extension linkages, aggregation and value addition, marketing constraints, as well as capacity-building and hand-holding needs of FPOs.
To ensure that its recommendations are grounded in field realities, the Committee will conduct field visits and hold consultations with FPOs, member farmers, market channels, processors and other stakeholders. It will also gather and compile inputs from Central and State Government departments, ICAR institutes, commodity boards, private sector agencies and other relevant organizations.
The Committee has been mandated to submit its final report to the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare within two months. ICAR–National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB), Tiruchirappalli, along with Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) through ICAR–ATARI, Hyderabad, will serve as the host institution, providing logistical and secretarial support for meetings, field visits and compilation of the report.
The move is expected to provide an institutional roadmap for strengthening FPOs in Tamil Nadu, with NABARD, NAFED and allied agencies playing a key role in shaping strategies for improved governance, market access and farmer-centric business models.
