FPOs rely on ONDC, GeM, e-NAM to boost sales

Many become self-sustainable

- SANDIP DAS

SEVERAL FARMER PRODUCER organisations (FPOs) have taken strides by boosting their businesses via official platforms like Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), electronic national agriculture market (e-NAM) and the government e-marketplace (GeM). Commercial gains from trading in agricultural inputs like fertilisers, pesticides and varieties of seeds, under a government licensing programme, are also helping them to grow.

A senior government official said the financial assistance and marketing support to these collectives, where over 3 million farmers have equities, would continue till FY26. Most of these entities were formed in the last couple of years. Over 10,000 FPOs are currently functional.

The agriculture ministry's scheme has a budgetary provision of ₹6,865 crore for the five years since FY21.

"A sizable number of FPOs have become financially self-sustainable. The issue of extension of the scheme would be taken up sometime next year," an official told FE.