Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah addressed the Board of Directors of National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India Limited (NCCF) in New Delhi. Shri Amit Shah said that NCCF should become self-reliant by achieving a turnover of Rs 50,000 crore by the year 2027-28. He said that NCCF should emphasize on making Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and other cooperative institutions across the country its members so as to ensure that the proportion of cooperatives in the share of capital of NCCF is relatively higher. Union Minister of Cooperation said that for this purpose NCCF will have to develop its business plan and change its business approach.

Union Minister of Cooperation said that NCCF is playing an important role in fulfilling Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's vision of ‘Sahakar se Samriddhi’. He said that under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the Ministry of Cooperation, since its inception, has taken 52 initiatives in the last 26 months to strengthen the cooperative movement in the country and increase the share of cooperatives in the GDP.

Shri Amit Shah said that NCCF should prepare a roadmap for the next 10 years to become a self-reliant cooperative institution. He said that the Ministry of Cooperation will provide its full support to NCCF in implementing such a roadmap. Union Cooperation Minister laid special emphasis on ensuring procurement of maize from farmers of Gujarat, Bihar, and other states by NCCF along with its associate companies for for ethanol production.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that if NCCF and NAFED so desire, Ministry of Cooperation can help them get their common App prepared on a digital platform from the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and this App can be utilized to coordinate procurement of maize. Shri Shah urged NCCF to find export opportunities for pulses purchased from farmers and ensure that such purchases are made at Minimum Support Price (MSP). He also stressed on adopting aggressive extension and marketing, purchasing by giving prior assurance to farmers and setting up common collection centres.

In his address, Shri Amit Shah also suggested that NCCF can tie up with PACS for the purchase of onions and pulses, so that arrangements for their storage can be made under the world's largest storage scheme in the cooperative sector. He also asked to explore export opportunities for agricultural products and to purchase rice and export it through National Cooperative Export Limited (NECL).

NCCF Chairman Shri Vishal Singh assured to fulfil the targets suggested by the Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation. The meeting of the Board of Directors was also attended by Shri Gyanesh Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation and Ms. Anice Joseph Chandra, Managing Director, NCCF.

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RK/AY/ASH/AKS