Constraints perceived by the shareholders of livestock based farmer producer organizations in Kerala

Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) is a collectivisation of small, marginal and landless farmers that provide support and services to the shareholders, including marketing services, technical assistance, processing, and inputs supplies. The concept of collectivisation through the local-level organisation is very important for the empowerment of small, marginal and landless farmers both in the agricultural and livestock sectors. An ex post facto research was conducted among the livestock-based FPOs in Kerala state to analyse the constraints faced by the selected FPOs. As per the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Kerala Regional Office, region-wise, there were 11, 7 and 10 FPOs operating in the Northern, Central and Southern Kerala, respectively. A total of 12 FPOs were chosen based on the number of FPOs in each stratum. A multistage random sampling method was adopted to sample the entire sampling population, which included 120 respondents. A semi-structured interview schedule was utilised as a tool to collect the data from the shareholders of FPO. Undeveloped storage facilities, lack of timely, inexpensive and high-quality feed and fodder, lack of the accurate market information, low price of the produce, mobilisation of the farmers and lack of sufficient funds for recurring expenditure were the significant challenges faced by the FPOs under various domains such as technical, marketing, organisational, and economic constraints respectively.