Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah chaired a high-level review meeting to assess the progress of three significant national cooperative bodies: the National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL), National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL), and Bharatiya Beej Sahkari Samiti Ltd (BBSSL).
These institutions were created in 2023 to function as umbrella organizations supporting cooperative exports, organic farming, and seed quality enhancement. Shah emphasized that these organizations are part of a “Whole of Government” approach, involving coordination across ministries to foster cooperative growth and fulfil the vision of “Prosperity through Cooperation.”
During the meeting, Shah set ambitious goals for NCEL, directing it to achieve exports worth Rs 2 lakh crore by diversifying its export portfolio. He emphasized tapping into new markets and products such as sugar, aromatic rice from Tripura, organic cotton, and coarse grains.
He suggested partnerships with major companies to export vegetables and specific potato varieties to the Gulf region. He also encouraged establishing NCEL offices in Africa and Myanmar to facilitate pulse imports and creating a dedicated website to connect cooperative producers with global demand.
In its first operational year, NCEL has already achieved a turnover of Rs 4,283 crore and a profit of Rs 122 crore, exporting goods to 28 countries and signing deals with international importers. It now includes over 10,000 member cooperatives.
NCOL was praised for building momentum in its early phase and was given a turnover target of Rs 300 crore for 2025–26. Shah noted its progress in launching the “Bharat Organics” brand, with products already available in Delhi-NCR and set to reach national retailers like Reliance.
NCOL collaborates with over 7,000 cooperatives, sourcing 1,200 metric tonnes of organic goods from 2,000 farmers. It has achieved a turnover of Rs 10.26 crore so far. The brand emphasizes transparency and sustainability, offering QR-code-based pesticide residue reports on each product batch—an industry-first initiative aimed at boosting consumer trust.
For BBSSL, Shah highlighted its critical role in bolstering India’s seed ecosystem. He stressed the need for developing new crop varieties with traits such as high yield, low water consumption, and shorter maturity cycles.
The BBSSL Centre in Kalol, Gujarat, has been tasked with innovating seed varieties for key crops like pigeon pea, black gram, and maize. Shah called for the development of sugarcane strains with high sugar output and minimal water requirements, and emphasized seed production for processing varieties such as potatoes for French fries.
He also proposed collaboration with organizations like NDDB and Amul for distributing fodder seeds. The need to establish tissue culture labs for high-quality banana plantlets in major producing states was also underscored, along with ensuring timely supply of breeder seeds in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture.
In conclusion, Amit Shah applauded the efforts of these cooperative institutions and reiterated the government’s firm commitment to strengthening India’s cooperative framework through innovation, integration, and infrastructural investment.
