The registration of the much-touted national level co-ops conceptualized to boost Seed procurement, securing market for organic stuff and boosting export of co-op products have been completed.
The byelaws and related details have been submitted to the Central Registrar, informed Ministry sources. The registration process is over, they added. Pankaj Bansal, the Joint Secretary in the Cooperation Ministry who doubles as MD of co-op lender NCDC is the key official looking after the process.
The interim Boards of all the three multistate co-ops are likely to meet today (Monday) at the Delhi office of NDDB in Safdarjung Enclave to devise ways and means of managing these bodies. The biggest challenge before the new board is to find suitable candidates who will head these bodies as CEOs.
At the Monday meeting, the nominated new members from the co-op bodies IFFCO, Kribhco, Nafed, Amul and NDDB will participate.
It bears recalling that last month the government floated the idea of setting up three ambitious multistate co-ops with the help of some top brands including Amul, IFFCO, Kribhco, Nafed and NDDB. These national level co-ops would address three key components of agriculture which include seed, organic products and export of co-op products abroad.
In a series of press conferences addressed informally by the Cooperation Secretary Gyanesh Kumar, the government explained the structure and purpose of these co-ops. Pankaj Bansal assisted the Secretary in all the media interactions.
The cooperatives which are part of the ambitious National Seed Multistate Co-op are IFFCO, Kribhco, NAFED and two government aided bodies NDDB and NCDC. Of all the seeds used in the country, only 47% is certified. By just increasing seed consumption of certified varieties by one percent, there would be an increase of 5 lakh tonnes of grains, govt sources claim.
The second national level body is Organic multistate co-op society which would be promoted in the beginning by five promoters including Amul, which already has some experience in the field as it launched Amul Atta earlier, an organic stuff, among others. Other promoters are NCCF, the apex body of consumer co-ops, Nafed, NDDB and NCDC.
In the country’s first Multi-state Cooperative Export Society, the four leading cooperatives IFFCO, KRIBHCO, NAFED, GCMMF and government subsidiary NCDC will participate in the beginning. It will aim to find markets across the globe for produce and products of cooperatives in the country.
It bears recalling that the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi earlier approved a decision about setting up and promoting a national level cooperative society for organic products under the Multi State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002 with support from relevant Ministries especially the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (M/Doner) through their policies, schemes & agencies strictly following the Government approach.