ABSTRACT Farmer producer companies are seen as an institutional arrangement to provide market access and sustainable livelihood to small farmers. In India, more than 4,200 producer organizations were registered over the last 8–10 years to mobilize millions of farmers to enhance their income through collective action. However, most of these organizations are at an early stage of establishing themselves amidst several hurdles. This study attempted to understand the challenges faced by the farmer producer companies (a type of producer organization) with the help of primary data collected through interviews of the CEOs of 36 such companies in West Bengal, India. The study also analyzed the issues concerning developing a supply-chain by producer companies with institutional buyers based on a real-time experiment, which involved examining the process of supply of vegetables to a bulk purchaser. The study found a lack of trust and awareness among the farmers to be significant hurdles to form producer companies. Inadequate training, inept management, and poor organizational skills of the members challenge the functioning of such companies. Further, some of the inadequacies in the supply-chain of a producer company, as found in the experiment, can be improved by the coordinated use of technology, training, and planning.

中文翻译：

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农民生产公司是否准备好作为商业实体行事？来自印度西孟加拉邦以蔬菜为基础的农民公司的见解

摘要 农民生产企业被视为一种为小农提供市场准入和可持续生计的制度安排。在印度，过去 8 至 10 年间注册了 4,200 多个生产者组织，以动员数百万农民通过集体行动增加收入。然而，这些组织中的大多数都处于建立自己的早期阶段，面临着一些障碍。本研究试图借助通过采访印度西孟加拉邦 36 家此类公司的 CEO 收集的原始数据，了解农民生产公司（一种生产者组织）面临的挑战。该研究还分析了基于实时实验的生产企业与机构买家开发供应链的问题，其中涉及检查向大宗采购商供应蔬菜的过程。研究发现，农民之间缺乏信任和意识是组建生产公司的重大障碍。成员的培训不足、管理不力和组织能力差，对这些公司的运作构成了挑战。此外，在实验中发现的生产企业供应链中的一些不足之处，可以通过技术、培训和规划的协调使用来改善。