An Empirical Analysis of Constraints Faced by FPO Members in Dakshin Dinajpur, West Bengal, India

Abstract

Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) play an important role in supporting small and marginal farmers by increasing their income through collective bargaining, improving access to resources and ensuring better market linkages. However, FPOs face many challenges that reduce their operational efficiency and long-term sustainability. This paper examines the key constraints faced by FPOs under Production, Marketing, Technical, Labour and Economic dimensions. This study was conducted in Dakshin Dinajpur district in the northern part of West Bengal, India. A simple random sampling technique was adopted to select the 100 member-farmers from 4 different FPOs in 2025 from the district of Dakshin Dinajpur, West Bengal to identify key constraints faced by them. The study uses Ranking method and Garrett Ranking technique to figure out the major constraints. The findings reveal that irregular procurement of produce, low price of produce, lack of post-harvest management facilities, lack of sufficient finance are the important constraints faced by the FPOs members. The paper concludes with recommendations to address these challenges besides improving the performance and sustainability of FPOs.