EMPOWERING FARMERS: ANALYZING THE IMPACT OF GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES ON FARMER-PRODUCER ORGANIZATIONS IN HIMACHAL PRADESH

Abstract

Several governmental programs operate in Himachal Pradesh to build marketing functions inside the Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs). Financial support with market infrastructure development services helps FPOs enter domestic and international markets to provide agricultural value creation. Currently, in the state, 180 FPOs are working, and Shimla has the most FPOs with 33 FPOs. The Small Farmers Agri-Business Consortium (SFAC) and the Foundation for the Development of Rural Value Chains (FDRVC) remain essential for developing market functions and networking capacity of FPOs. HPMC serves as the support by linking FPOs with the market directly, while PMFME provides financial assistance for key infrastructure developments and marketing proficiency education. The National Agriculture Market (eNAM) platform allows users to access current market pricing information and enables direct trading access. A shipment of reforms targeting Agricultural Produce Market Committees functions to eliminate market barriers for FPOs while minimizing their dependence on intermediaries. While improving farm revenues, these initiatives create an essential environment for Indian agriculture.