Govt takes steps to raise PACS income, create jobs in rural areas

The Government has taken key steps to raise the income of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and increase employment opportunities in rural areas. Farmers will now be able to get fertilisers, pesticides, seeds and agricultural machinery at the local level, thanks to these decisions taken in a meeting of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah with Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh S. Mandaviya in New Delhi.

The meeting noted that there are around one lakh Primary Agricultural Credit Cooperative Societies at present across the country. On the basis of mapping, PACS which are not functioning as fertiliser retailers will be identified and they will be encouraged to function as retailers on the basis of feasibility in a phased manner.

PACS which are not currently functioning as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samridhi Kendras (PMKSK) will be brought under the ambit of PMKSK, the meeting decided. An official release said the PACS will be connected with the marketing of organic fertilisers, especially Fermented Organic Manure (FoM)/Liquid Fermented Organic Manure (LFOM)/Phosphate Enriched Organic Manure (PROM).

Under the Market Development Assistance (MDA) scheme of Department of Fertilisers, fertiliser companies will act as an aggregator for small bio-organic producers to market the end product, in this supply and marketing chain of bio-organic fertilizers PACS will also be included as wholesalers/retailers.

The meeting also decided that PACS can also be employed as Drone entrepreneurs for spraying fertilisers and pesticides. Drones can also be used for survey of property.