Despite high levels of production, farmers often experience dramatic price crashes during peak seasons and limited income during off-seasons. This points to the urgent need for robust infrastructure, stronger aggregation mechanisms, better market linkages, and adoption of climate-resilient practices. Since its establishment in 2004, Palladium India has been at the forefront of addressing these issues by empowering Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) as engines of transformation in horticulture and floriculture value chains. Amit Patjoshi, CEO of Palladium Consulting India Private Limited, shared his views on the role of FPOs in horticulture and floriculture export in India with AgroSpectrum.

What are the major roadblocks in floriculture export in India, and what measures need to be taken to promote floriculture export in the global market?
The floriculture value chain in Odisha involves multiple stakeholders, including smallholder farmers, FPOs, research institutions, and government agencies. FPOs play a critical role by aggregating the produce of small and marginal farmers, helping them achieve economies of scale, access to markets, and technical support. By working collectively, smallholder farmers members of FPOs can reduce production costs, adopt advanced technologies for post-harvest management, processing and value-addition in floriculture value-chains and negotiate better prices in both local and international markets.

Furthermore, FPOs can facilitate partnerships with research institutes to drive innovation and improve yields, while also ensuring that sustainable practices are adopted to combat climate-related challenges.
Adoption of digital technology and climate resilient practices for production enhancement, streamlining supply chain and transformation of value chain for adherence to requirements of remunerative domestic and global markets can help enhance agribusiness and boost income for farmers in the state.

Which business models does India need to implement to drive the horticulture and floriculture market?
A robust export-oriented business model anchored in Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) is essential to unlocking the true potential of India’s horticulture and floriculture sectors. These models are built around the central role of FPOs, which act as critical enablers—connecting smallholder farmers to high-value domestic and international markets by developing export-oriented value-chains. By aggregating produce, enhancing processing, and ensuring market access, FPOs empower farmers to participate in export value chains that would otherwise remain out of reach due to scale and resource limitations.

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