Empowering small farmers through Farmer Producer Organizations in southern districts of Tamil Nadu

Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) have emerged as a vital institutional mechanism to enhance the livelihoods of India’s small and marginal farmers, who continue to face shrinking landholdings, weak market access and inefficient supply chains. This study assesses the performance, opportunities and constraints faced by FPOs in southern Tamil Nadu to understand their role in improving farm-level income and strengthening farmer collectives. The research covered FPOs across the districts of Ramanathapuram, Theni, Virudhunagar, Madurai, Sivagangai, Trichy, Thanjavur and Pudukkottai. Primary data were collected from member farmers and the Response Priority Index (RPI) was employed to systematically rank organizational, technical and marketing challenges faced by the FPOs. The findings indicate that FPOs provide critical benefits such as improved access to inputs, credit and enhanced bargaining power. However, several constraints hinder their efficiency. Key organizational barriers include poor group formation skills (RPI 2.69), weak teamwork (RPI 2.46), high labour costs (RPI 2.39) and limited credit access (RPI 2.15). Technical challenges include costly inputs (RPI 2.64), low awareness of post-harvest practices (RPI 2.46) and inadequate storage (RPI 2.13) and drainage infrastructure (RPI 2.01). Major marketing-related constraints include limited market access (RPI 2.65), middlemen exploitation (RPI 2.50), price fluctuations (RPI 2.40) and payment delays (RPI 2.30). Low technology adoption and unreliable partnerships further weaken FPO performance. Despite these constraints, opportunities exist for export market linkage, stronger farmer collectives and reduced rural migration. Overall, the study highlights the need for targeted interventions such as capacity building, infrastructure development, financial support and policy strengthening to empower FPOs, as their effective functioning is crucial for enhancing smallholder incomes and accelerating rural economic transformation.