Diary of a Rural Manager!

Access Development Services Access Livelihoods Consulting Action for Agricultural Renewal in Maharashtra (AFARM), Pune Action for Food Production (AFPRO) Action for Social Advancement (ASA) AFC INDIA LIMITED Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) BAIF Institute for Sustainable Livelihoods and Development Basix Krishi Samruddhi Limited Bhartiya Sammrudhi Investments and Consulting Services Limited (BASICS) Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA) Centre of Agriculture and Rural Developments (CARD) CTRAN Consulting Limited Dhan Foundation Dvara Trust Ek Lavya Foundation Harsha Trust Heifer India Indian Farm Forestry Dev. Co-operative Ltd. (IFFDC) Indian Grameen Services (IGS) Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR), Hyderabad Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals (ISAP) Indo Global Social Service Society KRISHI VIKAS SAHAKARI SAMITI LTD. (KVSS) Lupin Human Welfare & Research Foundation Madhya Bharat Consortium of Farmers Producer Co Ltd. Maha Farmers Producer Company (MAH...

1. FPOs created by NABARD and SFAC 2.  Operational Guidelines for Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations 3.  Strategy Paper for promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs)   4. Frequently Asked Questions for FPOs:  SFAC , NCDEX , ICSI &  E-NAM   5.  Farmer Friendly Handbook For Schemes & Programmes 6. Guidebook of Training Modules for FPO by BIRD, Lucknow 7. Live Quotes of Future Prices of Commodities 8.  Circular on Early Pay-in Facility for Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) 9.  Plan for utilization of regulatory fees foregone by SEBI 10.  NCDEX under its price dissemination policy offers you to avail the SMS facility .  11.  State-wise List of the Warehouses Registered with WDRA 12. Resource Book on Formation and Functioning of Farmer Producer Companies 13. Guidelines for promotion of Producers’ Enterprises Under DAY-NRLM 14. Financing for Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) ...

Providing interest-free loans and tax holidays is a subsidy. In fact, the corporates thrive on such subsidies. Corporations use most of the loopholes and tax dodges to avoid their taxes that may be technically ‘legal’ in the sense as the tax law allows them. But those subsidies got into the tax code because corporations lobbied to put them there. Saying something is ‘legal’ doesn't mean that it’s ethical. The difference being, these subsidies are called ‘incentives for growth’. But, strangely, it is always subsidies for the poor/farmers that come under the scanner. Even big individual agriculturists are not taxable in this country, whereas when they collectivize themselves, they were being taxed. Institutions promoting FPOs and Union agriculture ministry were seeking income-tax exemption for FPOs for a long time. Union Budget has proposed that FPCs, registered under the Companies Act, having an annual turnover up to INR 100 crore need not pay tax on profits derived from farm-relat...

There is neither Perfect Market Competition nor Perfect Community Cooperation. The middle path of community owned enterprise competing in the market has always both social capital and market presence. The rise of the creative economy encourages self-interest over collective action in the society, but all is not lost. There is a Value-proposition for setting FPO (Farmer Producer Organization). Udaipur Agro Producer Company Limited, (UAPCL) is one such producer company focused on strengthening the livelihoods of the community. Here is the glimpse through this video in which yours truly has small part -

GoI had issued a circular for Farmers producer organisations (FPOs) on 11th February 2014. As per circular, FPOs may be treated at par with cooperatives and other quasi- governmental institutions providing common service facilities to the farmers/users in Rashtriya Krishi vikas yojana (RKVY). Please check the circular on the government website .

Progressing with the previous discussion of FPO: Public Policy & Value Chain Development , we are looking into credit accessibility of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs). India is successful despite the government because of the entrepreneurship, energy, and ingenuity of the Indian people. Our smallholder farmers are not marginal recipients of charity but instead customer entrepreneurs. Even with the linking of small and marginal farmers to FPOs, the question of reliable and affordable sources of financing for the capital requirement of Infrastructure and operation always lingers for the farmers. There is always the issue of access to credit in the agrarian sector. There are many donor agencies like International foundations, Domestic Foundations, Business related CSR, and government schemes for financing credit to FPOs. But the search for such donors with big pockets for solving the problem is elusive and unsustainable way. Formal financial institutions (FIs) are war...

A basic concept can be read here: 2014 - Year of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) before going further ahead in this topic. Public Policy: There is always so much talk on FDI in retail, so it seems a good state to channel the same money for farmers’ producers’ cooperatives and ensure they get good margins and market access. The government of India (GoI) already invest Rs 275,000 crore in an agricultural subsidy budget that is constantly touted and needs to be unpacked. Who is the real beneficiary of these subsidies, farmers, or seeds, fertilizer manufacturers, and agricultural banks? That is where good public policy comes into play. The government of India (GoI) is promoting the concept of Farmer Producer Organizations going in the right step to engage and adapt agriculture to the market system. The primary objective of the collective mobilization of farmers into FPOs is to enhance the production, productivity, and profitability of especially small farmers in the country. FPO ...

I always remember the words of Chinese Premier Deng Xiaoping - "It doesn't matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice." So, now NGOs and the government are finally coming to the phase of acceptance of market forces in the development sector. The cooperative movement is already a failure except for a few notable examples. The government has never managed to manage any scheme efficiently. The government is partnering with various professional organizations for setting up a new institution in the country - Farmers Producer Company (FPC) / Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO). The legal framework is ready under the Companies Act. According to this new law, only farmer–producers can be members of the FPC and the farmer members themselves will manage this company. It takes care of the flaws in the cooperative societies but has also borrowed the strengths of the corporate companies. FPO/FPC will be dominating future debates on livelihood and its suc...