Centre Sets Up High-Level Committee to Strengthen FPOs in Tamil Nadu

Special emphasis will be placed on crops and farming systems central to Tamil Nadu’s agricultural economy, such as banana, turmeric, coconut, tapioca, and natural and organic farming.

In a swift, field-driven response to challenges faced by Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in Tamil Nadu, the Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has constituted a high-level Committee to review their functioning and recommend measures to expand their scale, sustainability and market reach.

The initiative follows the recent visit of Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan to Erode, where he engaged directly with farmers, FPO leaders and stakeholders. During the interaction, several operational, technical and market-related constraints affecting FPOs were flagged. Taking immediate cognisance of these concerns, the Minister directed a comprehensive and time-bound assessment to strengthen FPOs as engines of farmer-led growth.

Multi-Stakeholder Committee for Grounded Solutions

The newly constituted Committee brings together a wide spectrum of expertise, including representatives from NABARD, NAFED, SFAC–Tamil Nadu, ICAR–National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB), FPO representatives, NGOs and officials from the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. This diverse composition is aimed at ensuring practical, field-oriented and implementable recommendations.

The Committee will examine critical aspects influencing FPO performance, including governance and management systems, business operations and financial sustainability, access to technical support and extension services, aggregation and value addition, marketing bottlenecks, and capacity-building and hand-holding requirements.

Focus on Key Crops and Market Integration

Special emphasis will be placed on crops and farming systems central to Tamil Nadu’s agricultural economy, such as banana, turmeric, coconut, tapioca, and natural and organic farming. The Committee will explore improved business and operational models, stronger technical backstopping, institutional convergence, and enhanced market linkages to help FPOs move up the value chain.

Field Visits, Consultations and Time-Bound Report

To ensure recommendations are rooted in ground realities, the Committee will undertake field visits and consultations with FPOs, member farmers, processors, market intermediaries and other stakeholders. Inputs will also be gathered from Central and State Government departments, ICAR institutes, commodity boards, private sector agencies and allied organisations.

The Committee has been mandated to submit its final report within two months to the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. ICAR–NRCB, Tiruchirappalli, along with Krishi Vigyan Kendras through ICAR–ATARI, Hyderabad, will serve as the host institution, providing logistical and secretarial support.

Call to Action: Strengthening Farmer Collectives

This initiative reinforces the Government of India’s farmer-centric approach under the leadership of Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, with a clear focus on building strong, self-reliant and market-oriented FPOs. Farmers, FPO leaders, agri-entrepreneurs and value-chain partners are encouraged to actively engage with the process, as its outcomes are expected to play a pivotal role in enhancing farmer incomes, promoting value addition and integrating Tamil Nadu’s agriculture more effectively with national and global markets.