How much share capital should each member contribute to our FPO?

Set a share value that is affordable to a small farmer but meaningful enough that members feel ownership and your FPO has real working capital. If shares are near zero, you raise no capital and members feel no stake; if they are too high, poor members cannot join. A common approach is a modest per share value with members buying a few shares each, so a typical member contributes a small but real amount, and larger growers can buy more shares (while still having only one vote). Remember two things: first, member share capital is what the equity grant matches, so more genuine member capital can unlock more matching grant up to the ceiling. Second, working capital is usually your binding constraint, you need cash to buy inputs and procure produce, so collect serious share capital plus retain margins rather than depending only on loans. Decide the figure with your CBBO based on your members' paying capacity and your first business plan, and keep it inclusive so small farmers are not shut out.