Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) in Andhra Pradesh have been exhorted by A.P State Cooperative Marketing Federation (AP-MARKFED) to come up with business development plans for strengthening themselves.
MARKFED has also promised to look into the possibility of computerising the PACS activities and providing them Internet connectivity.
On their part, PACS sought a hike in the limit of credit availed by them from MARKFED and A.P State Cooperative Bank Limited (APCOB) and higher lending by the District Cooperative Central Banks (DCCB).
They have also demanded that the remuneration of presidents and secretaries of PACS be increased on a par with the salaries paid to village Sarpanches and secretaries.
‘Farmers need a
helping hand’
Addressing the 2nd general body meeting of MARKFED here on Sunday, its Managing Director G.S.R.K.R. Vijay Kumar said the crop loss suffered by farmers due to natural calamities was a serious matter being dealt by policy-makers and governments, whose responsibility it was to compensate the loss and guarantee support prices to enable farmers recoup the losses.
Registrar of Cooperative Societies A.V.V. Prasad said not many PACS were in the pink of health as the agriculture sector itself was struggling to overcome various problems.
To sustain themselves, PACS were asked and being encouraged to diversify into activities that would boost their revenues. He suggested that PACS could take up marketing of products like turmeric, which has tremendous demand abroad particularly in cold countries. Value addition to such agricultural products would reap rich dividends both within the country and in foreign markets, he asserted.
MARKFED Chairman Kanchi Rama Rao said due priority was given to protecting properties of the Federation and exploring the types of businesses that it could do to achieve self-sufficiency.
