With 55 Farmers’ Interest Groups (FIGs) formed in Mysore district to promote particular varieties of horticultural crops, the Department of Horticulture here is assisting farmers to register Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) under the Indian Companies Act, 2013 to improve farm productivity, derive effective business models and market farm produce without the intervention of middlemen.
The department is hoping to get at least two FPOs this year to market banana and vegetables.
All FIGs have been registered in a span of two years. Nine FIGs were proposed for registration this year. Each society has about 50–60 farmers as members, who were encouraged to take up cultivation of particular varieties of crops in a cluster (a group of villages) in at least 50 to 100 acres, according to horticulture authorities here.
Deputy Director of Horticulture N.M. Nagaraj told The Hindu that clusters had been formed bringing together farmers of different villages in each hobli. They get subsidies besides technologies that advance the yield. Clusters had been formed for crops such as plantain, papaya, rose and mango. Over 27 vegetable clusters had been registered, he added.
The schemes from the State and the Union government that promote horticultural crops are integrated and the benefits were collectively extended to the FIGs. They can avail subsidy under the schemes specific to each cluster. One of the aims of the FIGs is to make horticulture “technology-driven”, Mr. Nagaraj said.
He said farmers get 40 per cent subsidy for installing drip irrigation, which is mandatory in cluster development programmes. Similarly, they can also avail other crop-specific subsidies. The area of each cluster depends on the type of crop selected for cultivation, he said.
Besides technological interventions in horticulture, steps for efficient use of water were also recommended, Mr. Nagaraj said, and added that five vegetable clusters had been formed in Varuna hobli, which is highest at the hobli level.
With the FIGs gaining stability, the next step would be to register FPOs, he said.
“Farmers have realised the importance of the FIGs’ and are keen on opening companies to improve market opportunities.” Mr. Nagaraj said farmers would get support from the department for running their companies for the first three years.
