The
Union Minister for agriculture and farmers Welfare, Shri Radha Mohan Singh has
said that cooperative societies have provided inputs like credit, fertilizer, seed
and have established themselves in many fields of Indian economy such as dairy,
banking, sugar, fertilizer, marketing, handloom, fisheries and housing. Shri
Radha Mohan Singh has said this at Golden Jubilee celebrations of Cooperative
Institution, IFFCO in Motihari, today. IFFCO is completing its 50 years of
establishment on the 3rd November, 2017.
Shri
Singh has said that IFFCO came into existence with only 57 cooperative
societies in the year 1967-68 but, today, it is one of the largest cooperative
societies of India. Now, it has more than 36,000 cooperative societies. Its
business is spread over from general insurance to rural telecommunication apart
from manufacturing and sale of manure. Agriculture Minister said that through
its vast network, IFFCO is rendering its services to about 5.5 crores of
farmers. IFFCO has extended its international involvement through important
memorandum of understanding and agreements for supply of raw materials to many
international fertilizer industries. He said that IFFCO is working for the
prosperity of the farmers after providing environment friendly and real time
reliable, high quality agricultural products and services. IFFCO is
implementing several schemes and programmes for their welfare.
Shri
Singh further added that the present government of the centre is committed to
the development and strengthening of the
cooperatives. The government has formed NCDC keeping in view of the importance
of cooperatives in rural economy and it caters to the several dimensions and necessity
of the cooperatives. Agriculture Minister said that there are more than 249
million of members of cooperatives in India in which 6.10 lakh cooperative
societies and more than 71% rural families are the members of the cooperatives.
Cooperatives have provided direct and indirect employment to about 23.86
millions of people.
Shri
Singh hoped on this occasion that the production of the farmers will increase
from the profitable schemes of IFFCO and it will help to get them additional
income. The Minister said that cooperative societies should be made strong
democratically and by providing occupational services to the farm labourers, we
will have to make the rural people strong. Agriculture Minister also praised
the Managing Director of IFFCO, Dr. U.S. Awasthi and his team for the best
efforts and assured every possible assistance to the IFFCO.
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