Inauguration of offices of NCEL, NCOL and BBSSL National Cooperative Societies in Delhi

The three new cooperative societies -- NCOL, NCEL and BBSSL -- will help solve many problems of Indian agriculture and enhance farmers' income by promoting exports of farm products, including organic foods, said Cooperation Minister Amit Shah.

Stressing on the need to promote organic and natural farming, while discouraging use of chemical fertilisers, he said a laboratory will be set up in every district over the next five years to certify organic farm and products, and added that NCOL will promote organic farming in the country apart from cooperative Amul, which has already introduced many organic products in the market.

Shah was speaking after inaugurating the new office building of three national level multi-state cooperative societies -- Bhartiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Ltd (BBSSL), National Cooperative Organics Ltd (NCOL) and National Cooperative Export Ltd (NCEL) at World Trade Centre, in Nauroji Nagar in the national capital.

Stating that the total global organic market is Rs 10 lakh crore and India's exports of organic products are only Rs 7,000 crore, he said, "We want to grow India's organic exports to Rs 70,000 crore. It's an ambitious target but we will achieve it."

Shah said organic pulses, rice and wheat flour (atta) are being used at his home and asserted that the consumption of organic products will rise in India.

For seed society BBSSL, he said the target is Rs 10,000 crore turnover in the next five years.

To achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of "Sahakar se Samriddhi", all three cooperative societies will ensure uplift of the people associated with agriculture and related activities.

The government had earlier approved setting up of these three cooperative societies. These societies have been registered under Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002. Cooperative societies of all levels (from district to state to national) who are interested in activities specified for each of the three societies, are eligible to become members.

NCEL has been formed to promote exports from the cooperative sector. The member promoters of NCEL include Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF), Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO), Krishak Bharati Cooperative Ltd (KRIBHCO), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED), and National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).

NCEL will undertake direct export of goods and services of cooperatives and related entities. NCOL has been formed to realize the potential of organic products and create a healthy agriculture ecosystem. It acts as an umbrella organization for aggregation, procurement, certification, testing, branding and marketing of organic products of the cooperative sector.

NCOL is promoted by NAFED, NDDB (National Dairy Development Board), NCDC, GCMMF and NCCF. NCOL will help in the increase of production of organic products and it will also provide support in marketing of authentic and certified organic products by the cooperatives and related entities at various levels.

BBSSL deals with the advanced and traditional seed research and production and is responsible for their processing and marketing through the cooperative sector. It is promoted by IFFCO, KRIBHCO, NAFED, NDDB and NCDC. BBSSL aims at increasing the production of quality seeds in India, at par with the global standards through cooperatives, and thereby reducing the dependence on imported seeds.

The societies will be working with an objective of ensuring that profits on the net surplus go directly to farmers' accounts, thereby preventing leakages in the process. All the three societies will ensure the uplift of the people associated with agriculture and related activities and will procure the agricultural produce and seeds from the farmers via PACS. This would further lead to the strengthening of PACS as the farmers associated with them will get maximum value for their produce. The good quality seeds will help in enhancing agriculture production, and in turn income for seed producing farmers.