In two years, NCCF and NAFED will purchase pulses directly from farmers: Amit Shah
New Delhi, June 23
In a major announcement focusing on the welfare of farmers across India, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said they will be able to sell pulses directly to NAFED and NCCF-- both government-backed cooperatives that procure and market agricultural produce--and receive payment directly into their bank accounts in the next two years.
Shah's announcement comes while launching the e-auction portal Nafex.in of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) in New Delhi.
"It will be ensured that within the next two years, all farmers are able to sell pulses directly to these two organisations (NAFED and National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Ltd (NCCF) and receive payment directly into their bank accounts," said Shah while addressing the programme.
The minister said that in the last three years, the necessary infrastructure for the direct procurement of pulses, maize and other produce has been created. "Now this infrastructure has to be taken to the grassroots level."
To make the country self-reliant in the pulses sector, Shah also said that "NCCF and NAFED will have to move ahead with greater speed towards purchasing every single grain of pulses directly from farmers."
"This will ensure fair and remunerative prices for farmers, automatically increase the area under pulses cultivation, and make the country self-reliant in pulses," he mentioned.
The Minister of Cooperation further said that NAFED has today launched four major initiatives, namely NAFEX.in DRISHTI, ERP and NAFED Kalyan. He said that NAFEX.in and the other initiatives are extremely important because in 2014, NAFED was on the verge of closure, but due to these efforts, NAFED is today serving more than 74 lakh farmers of the country with a turnover of Rs 30,000 crore and a profit of Rs 500 crore.
When NAFED was in a deep financial crisis, Shah said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to run it with complete transparency, the Central government provided financial assistance, and once again placed NAFED on a strong footing.The Cooperation Minister said that today, NAFED has registered a significant increase in both production and procurement.
Shah suggested that NAFED and NCCF will have to work with full determination and transparency; only then will results be achieved.
Noting that NAFED is no longer limited only to the procurement of agricultural produce, Shah said: "In the last three years, NAFED has done excellent work in areas such as organic farming, seed production, retail business, bio-fertiliser manufacturing, food security and international trade, which has enhanced both NAFED's relevance and profitability."
He said that when the Ministry of Cooperation was created, NAFED's turnover was Rs 20,000 crore, which has now increased to Rs 30,000 crore. He expressed confidence that in the next two years, this turnover will cross Rs 50,000 crore.
Shah said that NAFED's net profit has increased from Rs 139 crore to Rs 405 crore, and its net worth has risen from Rs 358 crore to Rs 2,050 crore.
He said that NAFED has today emerged as a strong, financially capable and self-reliant organisation.
"The time has now come for NAFED and NCCF to procure every single grain of pulses and other crops directly from farmers with complete transparency, eliminate the entire network of middlemen, and ensure that the profits rightfully belonging to farmers reach them."
The Minister of Cooperation said that NAFED has decided to earmark 1 per cent of its profits for scholarships for higher education and career development of children from farming families. "This arrangement will help address the difficulties faced by farmers' children in pursuing higher education and building their careers."
At the beginning of his address, Shah paid tributes to former Union Minister and founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, on his 'Balidan Diwas'.
"It was on this day that Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee made the supreme sacrifice to realise the principle of "One Nation, One Constitution, One Head" and to keep the country united. He is counted among the great leaders of this nation. He did nothing in his life for fame, and whatever he did had far-reaching and positive consequences for the country."
Shah said Mookerjee fought against the British at the time of India's partition and ensured that West Bengal remained with India. It is because of this that West Bengal continues to be an integral part of India today."
— ANI
Reader Comments
As an urban consumer, I hope this translates to stable pulses prices in the market. Farmers getting better prices is good, but the real test is whether it reduces our monthly dal costs. Let's see how the next two years play out. Centralised procurement needs strong local implementation.
Finally, some concrete action on farmer welfare! The direct purchase model worked well for wheat and rice in Punjab, now pulses need the same. Our farmers in Maharashtra and Karnataka will benefit immensely. But I hope the government also addresses minimum support price issues for other crops.
Good initiative but I'm cautiously optimistic. Corruption in procurement agencies is a well-known issue. The transparency promised with e-auction is welcome, but we need strict monitoring at village level. Also, the 1% profit for farmer children's scholarships is a nice touch, shows holistic thinking.
As someone from a farming family in UP, I can tell you that middlemen have been a curse for generations. If this scheme actually removes them, it's revolutionary. The e-auction portal will give small farmers direct access to government buyers. But infrastructure in villages needs improvement – internet connectivity is still patchy in many areas.
I appreciate the attempt at self-reliance in pulses. India still imports large quantities of tur and urad dal. If farmers get assured procurement, they'll grow more pulses, reducing our import bill. The scholarship for farmers' children is thoughtful too. But implementation on ground – that's the real challenge.
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