In a major push to improve India’s agricultural storage capacity, the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) has played a pivotal role under the Bhandaran Yojana, a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Cooperation.
The scheme aims to establish decentralized, scientific godowns at the Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS) level, enhancing storage facilities and ensuring fair value for farmers’ produce.
Under this initiative, NAFED’s strategic responsibilities include identifying suitable PACS in procurement areas, issuing 7-year Hiring Assurance Letters, and supporting the preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) in coordination with RCS/DCCBs. NAFED is also facilitating e-WHR and WDRA accreditation besides promoting value addition and retail franchise models to empower cooperative societies.
So far, significant progress has been achieved- with 441 PACS identified, 214 Hiring Letters issued, and 745 older godowns brought under convergence. A pilot project has also been launched at PACS Ekamba in Karnataka, alongside a Retail Certificate Initiative for select PACS.
