Page 18 - NIS English 01-15 December, 2025

COVER STORY International Year of Cooperatives

Making PACS multipurpose,

multifunctional, and transparent

More than 13 crore farmer members are associated with the Primary Agricultural Credit Societies(PACS).
Model bylaws were developed to make PACS a multi-purpose, multi-faceted, and transparent institution.
PACS membership was made more inclusive and broad by providing representation to women and SC and
ST communities. PACS are being transformed into multi-service centres by linking them to 25 economic
activities. More than 300 government schemes and services are now being provided through them.

32 states and union territories have adopted it so far

The World’s Largest Food
Computerisation Empowers PACS Storage Scheme in the
₹2,925 Crore computerization project Cooperative Sector

for PACS was approved
n By combining several schemes and missions,
a project has been approved for food storage
73,493 PACS projects approved, with warehouses, custom hiring centres, primary
processing units, and other agricultural
approximately 60,000 onboarded.
infrastructure at the PACS level to prevent
Hardware has been procured by 30
states and union territories. grain wastage and reduce transportation
costs.
Panchayat and village within n Warehouse construction has been completed
the scope of cooperation in 11 PACS across 11 states as part of a pilot
project. Now, expanding this initiative, more
than 500 PACS have been identified for
Work has begun on a plan to warehouse construction.
establish new PACS, dairy, and
fisheries cooperatives to bring all n The State Government, NAFED, and NCCF
panchayats and villages under the have assured rent for the warehouses to be
ambit of cooperative institutions. constructed in 225 PACS. Construction work
A total of 24,417 new PACS, has begun in 129 other PACS, of which 65
dairy, and fisheries cooperatives have been completed.
have been registered across the n Slight amendments have been made to the
country since the scheme’s launch Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI)
on February 15, 2023, and until scheme to enhance financial viability, reduce
August 15, 2025. construction costs, and reduce subsidies.

Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and market- The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) has
ing-related societies, as its members. Over 5 crore now ranked Amul first and IFFCO second in the
farmers have become IFFCO members through global rankings, demonstrating that the cooperative
these societies, and today IFFCO is a pillar of the concept and culture remain powerfully alive today.
country’s Green Revolution, producing 9.3 million Furthermore, India’s Uralungal Labour Contract
metric tons of urea and DAP. IFFCO’s Nano Urea Cooperative Society Limited won the Asia Pacific
and Nano DAP are being exported to Brazil, Oman, Cooperative Excellence Award in 2023 in the Entre-
the United States, Jordan, and 65 other countries preneurial Cooperative Award category.
worldwide. The list of powerful and inspiring cooperative

16 NEW INDIA SAMACHAR || December 1-15, 2025