The key characteristics of Farmer Producer Organizations/Companies (FPOs/FPCs) include:

• Uniting producers, small and marginal farmers to form a powerful agricultural alliance
• Addressing agriculture challenges collectively
• Focusing on improved access to investment, technology, and input markets
• Formed by rural producers to pursue common interests and develop activities that benefit their members

Structure of FPO/FPC:

• Includes Farmer Interest Groups (FIGs)/Common Interest Groups (CIGs) at the grassroots level, preferably at the village/cluster level, which should be federated into a Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) or Farmer Producer Companies (FPC). It is recommended to have 15-20 members in each FIG/CIG.
• There should be a Board of Directors (BoDs) with a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 15 members to manage the FPO/FPC
• Any other committee/s as per requirement

Present Status of FPOs/FPCs in Assam::

Currently, there are a total of 649 FPOs/FPCs in Assam as of August 2024. This includes

• 197 FPOs/FPCs established by the Department of Agriculture
• 62 by NABARD under PODF and PRODUCE Fund
• 347 under the "Formation and Promotion of 10000 FPOs" Scheme of CSS
• Additionally, there are 43 FPOs/FPCs established by others under various CSR funds.

Additional 25 FPOs have been registered by NCDC and 59 FPCs have been registered by Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission (ASRLM) under the "Formation and Promotion of 10000 FPOs" scheme of CSS in 2023-24, with compilation of the details in progress.

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the promotion of Farmer Producer Organizations/Companies (FPOs/FPCs) in Assam. Some of these FPOs/FPCs have shown success in building institutions, developing businesses, adding value to products, and marketing. In fact, certain products like Assam Lemon, Tezpur Litchi, Pineapple, Red Rice, and Pumpkin produced by these FPOs/FPCs have been exported to various parts of India and even abroad. The Assam Government, through the Department of Agriculture, is working diligently to establish FPOs/FPCs as viable and sustainable business entities with a focus on increasing farmers' income.

It's important to note that the agricultural situation in Assam varies between the lower and upper Brahmaputra Valley as well as the Central and North Bank zones. Farmers in the Brahmaputra Valley and Central zone are more advanced and are practicing double and even triple cropping, which increases their income. However, in the Upper Brahmaputra Valley and North Bank zone, major areas are left fallow after Sali paddy, and farmers are not interested in cultivating crops despite government support.

In this situation, it is crucial to attract farmers, especially the younger generation, to adopt high-value agriculture, horticulture crops, and allied commodities as the main source of revenue generation and livelihood. Furthermore, it's important to establish convergence with other departments and agencies to ensure the overall development of the agriculture and allied sectors in Assam.

In light of the above, it is essential to share knowledge and skills related to successful cultivation practices, farming technology, FPO/FPC development, sustainable institutional building, business development, and income generation from successful FPOs/FPCs/Agripreneurs/Resource Persons/Resource Institutes in Assam.

The FPO/FPC Workshop will be held at Jorhat, Assam and will cover districts from upper Assam and North Assam including Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, North Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Sonitpur, and Biswanath on 13th and 14th September 2024. The workshop aims to achieve the following objectives:

• Sharing of knowledge and skills on successful cultivation practices and opportunities in terms of farming, technology, FPO/FPC development, sustainable institutional building, business development, and income generation. This will be facilitated by successful FPOs/FPCs, Agripreneurs, Resource Persons, and Resource Institutes from Assam and other parts of India.
• Making the agricultural and allied sectors more profitable and sustainable by bringing together all stakeholders/departments in one platform and ensuring proper convergence
• Discussing prospects and constraints for enhancing agriculture in upper Assam districts and North Bank districts through FPOs/FPCs
• Exploring market/business potentials for FPOs/FPCs
• Exploring the various financing opportunities/schemes available for FPOs/FPCs

Participants for the Workshop:

• Officials from state and district offices from nine upper Assam and North Bank districts: Golaghat, Jorhat, Majuli, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, North Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Sonitpur, and Biswanath of the Agriculture and allied departments (Agriculture/Horticulture/Fisheries/Sericulture/Handloom/Irrigation/AHVD/Assam Agricultural University (AAU)/other organizations (NABARD/NAFED/NCDC/SFAC/NERAMAC) and ADC (Agriculture) or relevant officers deputed by the District Commissioners (DCs) of all 9 districts.
• Representatives from successful FPOs/FPCs/Resource Persons/Agripreneurs
• Officials from a bank/financial institution, etc.
• FPO/FPC members from upper Assam and North Bank districts
• Relevant traders, exporters, etc.
• Others.