Co-Ops Should Break Away From Govt, Says Kurien

The pioneer of Indias white revolution, Dr Verghese Kurien, yesterday said co-operatives in the country should shed their partnership with governments if they are to emerge as successful players in the market-driven global environment.

In these times of political uncertainty, unchanging restrictive laws and increasing competition in the market, it is imperative that co-operatives try and do away with state partnership, Kurien said at the National Co-operative Dairy Federation of India in New Delhi.

This will significantly reduce the states role in the affairs of the co-operatives, Kurien, chairman of the federation, said while addressing the federations annual general meet. Emphasising on improving the quality of co-operative governance, he said: I sincerely believe that good co-operative governance can ensure that the co-operative remains successful, irrespective of an adverse climate.

 

However, he expressed doubt whether the state governments would truly liberate the co-operative sector, given the present political uncertainty in the country.

Elaborating on co-operative governance, he said effective governance should be in three stages. First it should ensure long-term strategic objectives and plans and then put proper management and systems in place to achieve these objectives. In the third stage, it should make sure that the management and systems maintain the co-operatives integrity, reputation and accountability to its constituencies, he added.

In view of the continued reluctance of governments to move away from co-operatives, some of these societies have begun searching for new opportunities to survive under the competitive market conditions, Kurien said.

There is a growing feeling among dairy co-operatives to unify the marketing of their milk and milk products on a national scale and once agreed this would have a multiplier effect on the marketing strength of these dairies, he said.

Referring to NCDFIs operations, he said the federation continued to co-ordinate marketing, be actively involved in the management of the national milk grid besides providing need-based services to its members.

Acknowledging the role of milk producers and oilseed growers belonging to the dairy and the oilseeds co-operatives in revolutionising the milk production and oilseeds output in the country, Kurien said: They will continue to provide the purpose and support to NCDFIs activities.