Farmers Club

The Farmer’s Club program (FCP) is a club where all the information will be collected by the farmers from the basic level in their village. This Farmer’s club is organised by the rural bank branches with support and financial help from the NABARD.

Objectives of the Farmer’s Club

The main objective of the Farmer’s Club program is to build the capacity of farming and proving empowerment to the farming people. Below are the main principles for the farmer’s club program.

The suitable methods of Science and Technology should be selected for using the credit.
Work must be done in a way to increase production and productivity. Work must be done with talented skills.
The additional income that is obtained by the credit must be saved properly.
The instalments of loans should be repaid at the correct time and regularly so that the credit can be recycled.

Core Objectives of the Club

Development of the club through credit.
The technology transfer and the new technology adoption by the farmers will be promoted.
Skill-based training is the most important for farmers, and it will be promoted for others to get knowledge about the training.
Mobilisation of the community.

Secondary Objectives

The income of the farmers will be enhanced, and those facilities will be put into action.
The risk-free environment will be facilitated by the farmers.
IT-based initiatives will be promoted in agriculture.
Ways to enjoy all the benefits of various government schemes will be provided for the farmers.
Business providers and facilitators will be promoted for banks.

Functionalities of Farmer’s Club Program

The main functions of the Farmer’s clubs will be:

Maintain a relationship with the bank to make sure the credit flow among the members is in good condition for maintaining the bank borrower relationship.
To organise and conduct a minimum of one meeting per month, which will vary depending upon the need. In certain cases, there may be 2-3 meetings per month. Non-members are also invited to attend the meetings.
Communicating with the corporate input suppliers for purchasing bulk inputs on behalf of the club members.
To organise many activities like value-adding, processing and farm produce marketing for the benefit of the farmers.
It also facilitates undertaking many socio-economic activities such as community works, education activities, health concern, environment, and natural resources management.

Key Benefits of the Farmer’s Club and bank

Generating new business areas.
Decreasing the non-performing assets and increasing the recovering assets.
Reducing the transaction cost of financial banks.
The facilitation of socio-economic development in all the villages.
Among all these, the Farmer’s club facilitates the welfare measures such as free eye check-up camps, animal health care camps, vaccination camps, some of the community needs like roadways, dams, etc.

Setting up of the Farmer’s Clubs

Any of the banks that are operating in the rural area can organise the Farmer’s Clubs. All the clubs should have a savings account with the bank. The bank can be regional rural banks, cooperative banks, commercial banks. Each of the Farmer’s club can have a minimum of 10 members. There will be no upper limit in the membership. Each club will have two officers, one will be Chief Coordinator, and the other will be Associate Coordinator. These officers will be elected by the Club Members directly on a democratic basis of two years. The officers should be a resident of the area of the club. These officers will have to organise and arrange meetings with the experts, maintenance of Accounts books, cooperating with the bank, maintaining proper communication with the bank.

To join the Membership of the Farmer’s Club

All the village people, except those who have any default. The club should raise its resources and undertake business services. Members login in the official website Methodology to form the Farmer’s Club by bank branches and join the Club

Bank branches can promote the farmer’s clubs directly, or it can have any agencies link to do the promoting activities like NGOs, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, Agriculture Universities, etc.
A group of villages or a particular village is selected which is suitable for launching the clubs in the functional area of the bank.
Leaders of the club are selected as Chief Coordinator and an Associate Coordinator by the members.
And the leaders are given training with the help of NABARD.
Months meetings will be conducted and periodical discussions for taking up the necessary action for running the club.
The members will be encouraged to maintain a membership register, minute’s book, and an accounts register.