Welcoming the delegates who have come from across the states at the NCUI Auditorium in Delhi to attend the 53rd AGM of co-op titan IFFCO on Thursday, its Chairman Dileep Sanghani announced proudly that for the 4th consecutive year, the World Cooperative Monitor has declared IFFCO as the largest co-op in the world in its category.
Calling it no mean achievement for an Indian-born co-operative to rule the roost at the global level, Sanghani said this would not have been possible without the support and encouragement of the lakhs and lakhs of members associated with IFFCO. Amidst cheers, the Chairman yet again announced 20% dividends.
Sanghani expounded at length on the achievements of IFFCO in the year gone by and added that the launching of the Nano Plus range this year is going to be a game-changer. He said the move is aimed at achieving the vision of the Prime Minister.
Welcoming new board members, Sanghani lauded IFFCO for being the first multi-state co-op which has conducted elections following the new co-op act in a transparent and fair manner. “IFFCO set an example which could be a template for others to follow,” underlined Sanghani.
Speaking soon after the Chairman, IFFCO MD Dr. U S Awasthi asked members to contribute to the nation’s economy by subscribing to Nano urea and DAP. “You would be saving 30 billion dollars of foreign exchange every year, which can be used for the nation’s growth,” exhorted Awasthi passionately.
The MD also expounded on the benefits of the Nano range of fertilizers and said that the Plus version is unique in many senses. It is also climate-resistant and would thus check global warming, he added. He briefly informed the precautions needed while applying Nano urea to the fields.
Dr. Awasthi informed about the popularity of the Nano range by saying that many countries including the
USA, Brazil, Bangladesh, Nepal, and others are importing Nano urea. There is talk of Nano urea even on Pakistan Radio, he informed, lamenting that here in India we keep harping on traditional urea. High time we should shift to Nano, he stressed.
Before coming to the issues of Nano and co-operatives, Awasthi sought apologies from members as the venue of the AGM–NCUI Auditorium is under renovation leading to some discomfort for people. “We could have held it at a five-star hotel but the board and I felt that it’s better to be in one’s own hut than in the mansions of others,” said Awasthi.
Before coming to the dais and the formal inauguration of the AGM, the top two leaders Sanghani and Awasthi took a tour of the campus and met members one-on-one. They posed for pictures and renewed their rapport in the process.
The AGM also saw the conferring of two top IFFCO awards to UP Minister Rathore and Surat’s cooperator Bhalala respectively for their extraordinary contributions to the cooperative movement.
Several participants also spoke on the occasion, giving suggestions and lauding the leadership for the extraordinary achievements of the co-op titan.
The AGM was attended by almost all the board members. IFFCO’s Co-op Relation official Santosh Kumar Shukla anchored the event efficiently.
