National Co-operative Exports Limited (NCEL) has emerged as a key driver of India’s agricultural exports, leveraging the strength of cooperatives to make a significant impact in just two years. In the financial year 2024–25, the apex cooperative export organisation posted a net profit of Rs 122 crore on a turnover of Rs 4,283 crore, underlining its growing role in India’s agri-export ecosystem.
During this period, NCEL exported 10.83 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of agricultural commodities worth Rs 4,283.56 crore, adding to 2.66 LMT valued at Rs 1,113.13 crore in 2023–24. In total, since inception, NCEL has shipped 13.49 LMT of produce worth Rs 5,403.01 crore. Exports include rice, sugar, fresh red onions, baby food, processed foods, spices, tea, marine products and coarse cereals, reaching 28 countries worldwide.
By August 2025, NCEL had enrolled 11,034 cooperatives as members, including 10,793 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), 216 tehsil- and district-level cooperatives, 10 multi-state and state-level bodies, and its five promoter organisations.
The PACS, operating at village level, form the operational backbone, ensuring farmers and producers directly benefit from global trade and higher incomes while strengthening rural communities.
Established on 25 January 2023 under the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002, NCEL was jointly promoted by IFFCO, KRIBHCO, NAFED, GCMMF (Amul) and NCDC with an initial paid-up capital of Rs 500 crore and authorised share capital of Rs 2,000 crore. Conceived under the “Sahakar se Samriddhi” vision, NCEL aims to enhance export earnings, strengthen market linkages and generate employment by taking cooperative produce abroad.
To widen its reach, NCEL has signed 61 strategic MoUs with importers in Senegal, Indonesia and Nepal, entered agreements with state agencies, and framed business plans aligning procurement and exports with PACS and other cooperatives.
A commodity seminar series was launched to prepare farmers and cooperative bodies for global trade, beginning with an event in Madhya Pradesh in July 2025. NCEL has also strengthened grassroots outreach through BPO initiatives, multilingual digital newsletters in 10 languages, social media campaigns, and Nukkad Natak programmes.
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah has set ambitious targets for NCEL, urging diversification into sugar from cooperative mills, aromatic rice from Tripura, organic cotton, coarse grains, and fresh vegetables for Gulf markets.
He has envisioned Rs 2 lakh crore in exports, directing cooperative institutions to channel shipments through NCEL to generate Rs 20,000–30,000 crore in turnover with profits benefiting members. Proposals include overseas offices in Africa and Myanmar and a digital platform to align global demand with cooperative supply.
With strong institutional backing, an expanding membership base, growing exports, and a cooperative model that directly benefits farmers, NCEL is poised to become the global face of India’s cooperative movement and a major contributor to rural-led economic growth.
