Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday informed the Rajya Sabha that the three national-level cooperative institutions, National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL), Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited (BBSSL) and National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL), are playing a significant role in strengthening market access, value addition and income opportunities for cooperative societies, particularly Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and small and marginal farmers.
In a written reply, the Minister said the objective of NCEL is to function as an umbrella organisation for the export of surplus goods and services produced by cooperative societies across the country. NCEL has been mandated to undertake activities such as procurement, storage, processing, marketing, branding, labelling, packaging, certification, research and development, and trading.
He noted that NCEL currently has 15,790 members and has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with 14 States and Union Territories to enhance coordination with cooperatives. Since its inception, NCEL has exported 40 agricultural commodities aggregating 138.37 lakh metric tonnes to 29 countries, with exports valued at Rs 5,577.62 crore.
On BBSSL, Amit Shah stated that the organisation has been established as an apex cooperative body for production, procurement, processing, branding, packaging, storage, marketing and distribution of quality seeds, besides promoting strategic research and development and preservation of indigenous natural seeds.
BBSSL has a membership base of 34,078 cooperatives and has also signed MoUs with 14 States and Union Territories. Since inception, BBSSL has sold 29,100.8 metric tonnes of seeds worth Rs 210.62 crore.
Regarding NCOL, the Minister said it was set up to act as an umbrella organisation for aggregation, procurement, certification, testing, branding and marketing of organic products. NCOL has 11,853 members and has entered into MoUs with 22 States and Union Territories. It has launched 28 organic products under the ‘Bharat Organics’ brand in Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru.
These products are available through major retail chains and e-commerce platforms including Amul, Reliance, DMart, JioMart, NCCF metro outlets, Safal, and leading quick-commerce and online marketplaces. NCOL has achieved a cumulative turnover of Rs 21.47 crore since inception.
Amit Shah further informed that NCEL declared a 20 per cent dividend to its members for the year 2023–24. He emphasised that the majority of members of these three cooperatives are PACS, whose members are predominantly small and marginal farmers.
Through aggregation, procurement and value-chain services such as branding and certification, these institutions are enabling structured market access and integrating farmers into national and global value chains.