Nearly 75 pc farmers buy agri-inputs from affiliated FPOs: Dvara E-Registry survey

Nearly 90 per cent of farmers were able to recall that they are shareholders in Farmer Producer Company (FPC), while 75 per cent of respondents purchased agri-inputs from their affiliated FPCs, according to an impact assessment survey conducted by Dvara E-Registry.

Agrifintech startup Dvara E-Registry (DER) conducted the survey on its intervention with 25 Farmer Producer Companies (FPOs) across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha and Manipur. The survey aimed to understand the impact of DER's intervention on farmers affiliated with these FPOs.

Hyderabad-based DER, incubated by the Dvara Venture Studio, was formed in 2019. Since 2021, DER has been working with the 25 FPOs, but the interventions were significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, after the Omicron wave in January 2022, the intervention started gaining momentum in all five states. The survey, conducted internally by DER, involved 1,498 farmers who availed services through FPOs. DER works with FPOs and the farmers through a bouquet of services at every stage of FPO development, designed for the FPOs to make them efficacious and sustainable.

Out of 1,498, 89.6 per cent of farmers were able to recall that they are shareholders in FPC. 74.9 per cent of farmers reported purchasing agri-input from FPCs. "The major benefits reported by 82.6 per cent of respondents while purchasing agri inputs from FPCs are competitive rate in comparison with other markets followed by good quality of products as reported by 78.8 per cent of respondents," DER said in a statement.

Nearly 40 per cent of farmers reported buying various crop health products from FPCs, followed by 25.9 per cent of farmers who reported purchasing various seeds from their respective companies. "74.8 per cent of farmers express satisfaction with their experiences with the FPOs... Enhanced access to credit, improved loan processes, and the introduction of health insurance contribute to the overall satisfaction of farmers," the statement said.