Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs): The limits and potential in navigating Indian Agrarian Crisis

This research paper aims to explore the potentials and limits of farmer collective in the form of Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) while navigating the Indian Agrarian Crisis which is rooted in capitalist hegemony. The research looks at possibilities of FPCs creating counter hegemony to the structures which are leading to crisis. To address this, I have used ‘Symbiotic Transformation’ (by Erik Olin Wright); transformation via collaboration of opposing group interest and heterodox framework of critical agrarian studies. The research is carried out by examining the case of Ram Rahim Pragati Producer Company, an FPC based in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The FPC is facilitated by a civil society organization working in the region. The members of the collective are tribal women who are small and marginal farmers. Through its collective endeavor they are challenging exploitative moneylender/trader’s nexus and harmful Green Revolution practices. To undertake the study, I conducted qualitative online interviews with the members and leaders of the collective. I combine this primary data with secondary data and literature for analysis.