Shah boosts export potential of co-ops; NCEL to impact 2 crore farmers

Speaking during a ‘National Symposium on Cooperative Exports’ organized by the National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL) in New Delhi at ICAR Pusa Road in N Delhi, the Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah said NCEL will become an organization representing the entire cooperative sector and in the coming days, efforts will be made to develop it into a complete export ecosystem covering all aspects like procurement, storage, processing, marketing, branding, labelling, packaging, certification and research and development.

Shah also released the logo, website and brochure of NCEL and distributed membership certificates to NCEL members. On this occasion, several dignitaries including Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal and Union Minister of State for Cooperation BL Verma were present.

In his address, Amit Shah said that the National Cooperative Export Limited is being formally launched on the auspicious day of Mahanavami. He said that we are crossing a very important milestone on the way to realize the vision of Sahkarita Se Samriddhi, for which the Ministry of Cooperation was established for the first time since independence by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

He said that National Cooperative Export Limited (NCEL) was established after much deliberation with various objectives in mind. He said that our goals behind setting up NCEL include increasing exports, especially agricultural exports, making farmers prosperous, changing crop patterns and enabling 2 crore farmers of the country to declare their land as natural by 2027.

With this, farmers will directly get about one and a half to two times the price of their organic products compared to what they are currently getting and this will open the way to prosperity for the farmers.

He said that till now about 1500 cooperatives have become members of NCEL and it is expected that in the coming days every tehsil will join it and become the voice of the farmers. Till now NCEL has received orders worth Rs 7,000 crore and orders worth Rs 15,000 crore are being negotiated.

The Minister of Cooperation expressed confidence that in the coming days, like IFFCO, KRIBHCO and Amul, National Cooperative Export Limited will also prove to be a very big and successful cooperative venture.

Shah also dwelt on the issue of Biofuel and said that India is the only country where 4 crops can be grown simultaneously and if even one of these crops can be used for biofuel, then we can meet India’s biofuel needs and export it as well.

Shah said that another objective of setting up NCEL is to strengthen the cooperatives sector in the country. Agriculture contributes 15 percent to the country’s GDP while 60 percent of the total population is dependent on them. Only co-ops can increase the GDP while ensuring prosperity for these 60 percent people by providing them employment”, said Shah.

Amit Shah said that NCEL is launched in the cooperative sector with 6 objectives of increasing exports, prospering the farmer, changing the crop pattern, providing a global market for organic products, gaining a place for India in the global market for biofuel and strengthening the cooperative sector.

With this new beginning, the cooperative will act as a link between the farmers and the global demand for milk products, Isabgol (Psyllium), cumin, ethanol and a variety of organic products.

Shah said that the profits from exports do not reach the farmers, but through National Cooperative Export Limited at least 50% of the export profits will go directly to the farmers. He said that procurement will be done from the farmer at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and then after the balance sheet of 6 months is prepared, 50 percent of the profit in addition to the payment made as per MSP, will go directly to the bank account of the farmer.