NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet has approved a landmark decision paving the way to set up and promote a National-Level Co-operative Society for organic products that will act as an umbrella organisation for aggregation, procurement, certification, testing, branding and marketing of organic products with support from relevant Union Ministries.
Announcing the decision of the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Agriculture Minister Bhupendra Yadav said, that the body will be set up under the Multi State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act, 2002 with support from relevant Ministries especially the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (M/Doner) through their policies, schemes & agencies following the ‘Whole of the Government Approach’.
Envisioned as PACS to Apex (primary to top), the move will help primary societies, district, state and national level federations, multi state cooperative societies and Farmers Producer Organisations (FPOs) become member of the umbrella organisation, represented by their elected representatives in the Board of the society as per its bye-laws.
It will help in unlocking demand and consumption potential of organic products in domestic as well as in global markets. This society will also help cooperatives and ultimately their farmer members in getting benefits of the high price of organic products through aggregation, branding and marketing on a large scale by facilitating testing and certification at affordable cost.
Yadav said that move is in sync with the PM’s vision who has been emphasizing that all efforts should be made to leverage the strengths of cooperatives and transform them into successful and vibrant business enterprises to realize the vision of “ Sahakar-se-Samriddhi” through the inclusive growth model of cooperatives. “The step would also help cooperatives to think globally and act locally to leverage their comparative advantage,” Yadav added.
The umbrella cooperative society will also provide institutional support for aggregation, certification, testing, procurement, storage, processing, branding, labelling, packaging, logistic facilities, marketing of organic products. Also there would be arrangements for financial assistance to the organic farmers through its members cooperatives including Primary Agricultural Credit Societies and FPOs and will take up all promotion and development related activities of organic products with the help of various schemes and agencies of the Government.
The cooperative society will manage various activities related to the organic sector by providing certified and authentic organic products.
