National Coop Council Meet Today

The apex cooperative organisation is already supporting programmes for the development of sectors like poultry, dairy, sericulture, handlooms and other activities aimed at improving socio-economic condition of the rural population.

The main thrust of National Cooperative Development Corporation-aided programmes had been to sustain productivity and production, augment farmers income and improve the export potential of this sector.

Last year, it provided assistance to 15 new cooperative sugar factories besides assisting four existing units to modernise and expand.

The NCDC is encouraging sugar cooperatives to diversify, especially by setting up plants for co-generation and by-product utilisation.

The future plans of the corporation, including proposals for encouraging diversification of agro-processing units, are likely to be approved at the 43rd general council meeting of the NCDC to be held here today. Agriculture minister Chaturanan Mishra is the president of the general council which consists of 51 members including secretaries of various ministries, deputy governor of the Reserve Bank, officials of the Planning Commission and representatives of the Central and state governments and cooperative bodies.

 

NCDCs promotional role for the agricultural sector has assumed special significance in emerging market-oriented economy in view of the need boosting agro exports.