A Study on Profile and SWOT Analysis of Farmer Producer Organizations in Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract:

The Farmer Producer Organization refers to any registered legal entity of primary producers engaged in farm/ of farm economic activities. They work for the benefits of shareholder members and share a portion of profits among the members. The paper has evaluated the functioning and performance of selected farmer’s producer organizations of Andhra Pradesh. The study is based on both primary data collected through three FPOs in Andhra Pradesh and secondary data. Data was collected through face-to-face personal interview method by the researcher with the Board of Directors / CEO of selected FPO in Andhra Pradesh. There is a lot of variation in the formation and functioning of the FPOs across the states and regions of the country. It is important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the FPOs as also the opportunities and threats faced by them so as to suggest suitable policies to improve the functioning of the FPOs in Andhra Pradesh state. For the present study, a total of three Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) which are performing their role in the Agricultural, Horticultural, and Fisheries sector were purposely selected to know the difference in basic profile, services/benefits that they provide to FPO members. The paper further helps to understand the SWOT analysis and constraints of each FPO. The study also provides the information on the organizational structure of FPO, typical services provided by FPO, and the key difference between cooperative and Producer Company Parameters. The SWOT analysis revealed that the FPOs of the region are fortunate to have been supported by promoting institutions