Minister asks authorities to develop PACSs into FPOs to benefit farmers

Minister for Agriculture Tummala Nageswara Rao speaking at a FPOs meet in ICAR-IIOR in Hyderabad on Friday.
| Photo Credit: By Arrangement

HYDERABAD

Minister for Agriculture Tummala Nageswara Rao has asked the Agriculture and Co-operation Department authorities to take steps to transform the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Credit Societies (PACSs) into farmer producer organisations (FPOs) by making use of the infrastructure and network of the PACSs.

Speaking at a workshop organised for FPOs held at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research (IIOR) here on Friday, the minister asked the FPOs to play a key role in increasing the cultivation of oilseeds and pulses, their marketing and processing as it is they (FPOs) who could take the benefits of farm mechanisation effectively to the small and marginal farmers, particularly those growing oilseeds and pulses.

Despite the emergence of cooperative societies way back in 1904 they had failed to achieve desired results though the principles of the cooperative system were the backbone of FPOs, which came into existence later, framework too. He stated that some of the FPOs that had formed in recent years had achieved stupendous results and were progressing with a clear vision and goal.

The minister suggested the FPOs provide farm mechanisation (machinery and equipment) at reasonable rentals to the small and marginal farmers to improve their incomes and quality of the produce. Help in marketing and processing too would be mutually beneficial to the farmers and FPOs.

Chairman of the Telangana Agriculture Commission M. Kodanda Reddy, Vice Chancellor of Prof. Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University A. Janaiah, Director of Agriculture B. Gopi, Director of ICAR-IIOR R.K. Mathur, Director of ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute Shaik N. Mirza, Regional Director of the National Cooperative Development Corporation Shardul Jadhav, Chairman of the FPOs Federation Jaipal Reddy and others participated in the workshop attended by about 40 FPOs.