Assessment of Profile Characteristics and Factors Determining the Membership of Farmers in Tamil Nadu Banana Producer Company (TNBPC) a Study in Trichy district of Tamil Nadu

The majority of Indian farmers face issues such as decreased agricultural production, lower resource use efficiency, and lower farm revenue. Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) which are based on the concepts of economies of scale and collective action, have arisen as a golden ray of hope for alleviating these challenges. In light of these facts, the present study was carried out to examine socio-personal, socio-economic, socio-psychological characteristics and the factors determining their membership with the sample respondents of 132. The sample was selected through proportionate random sampling from five villages of Thottiyam block in Trichy district of Tamil Nadu. The findings revealed that majority of the farmers were middle aged with most of the members having been educated and medium level of annual income. Farming was the primary occupation for majority of the members with big farm size and medium level of annual income, farmer groups experience, training, institutional support and extension agency contact. There also exists medium level of market perception, group interaction, group leadership, self -confidence, attitude towards group activity, participation in group activities, achievement motivation and group cohesiveness. The findings also revealed that getting better price for their produce was the major economic factor determining their membership followed by participatory decision making as the major social factor, to make use of government schemes as major organizational factor and providing market linkages as the major marketing factor determining their membership. FPO operations must be promoted and supported in order to instill competition among farmers and raise their share and profit in agricultural enterprises.