Amit Shah to address national symposium on promotion of organic produce on November 8

New Delhi, [India], November 6 (ANI): Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah will address a national symposium on the promotion of organic produce in Delhi on November 8.

The importance of organic produce along with the role of cooperative societies in the upliftment of small and marginal farmers will be discussed in the symposium, which will be organised by National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL). The objectives of NCOL will also be discussed during the one-day symposium.

The symposium will also have technical sessions on topics like organic production – need of the hour, certification process and criteria for organic products, and the importance of organic certification laboratories. More than 1,000 participants are going to attend the Symposium, including members of NCOL, officials from the government of India, states, Union Territories, Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS), Cooperative Unions, District Cooperative Unions, Organic Certification Bodies and testing laboratories, experts from the organic sector and other stakeholders from across the country.

A large number of participants will also join the event through a virtual medium. At the event, Shah will also launch the logo, website and brochure of NCOL and distribute the membership certificates to NCOL members.

In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Sahakar Se Samriddhi”, NCOL has been established as a national-level multi-state cooperative society to make India a global leader in organic products.

Under the leadership of PM Modi and the able guidance of Shah, the Ministry of Cooperation has taken 54 initiatives in the last 27 months to strengthen the cooperative movement in the country. The establishment of a national-level Cooperative to promote organic products is a significant step towards boosting the rural economy, promoting “Make in India” along with paving the way for “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India) and “Local to Global”.

The NCOL aims to increase the return on produce while giving organic farmers and producer organisations direct access to the market. By having access to national and international markets under a strong brand, the members will get better returns for their organic produce.

The NCOL will act as an umbrella organisation by managing the entire supply chain of organic products produced by various cooperative societies and related institutions across the country in collaboration with the concerned Ministries of the Government of India, following the ‘Whole of Government Approach’. It will undertake and promote the aggregation, branding and marketing of organic products produced by cooperatives. Any Cooperative Society or an association of persons (as may be permitted by the Central Registrar) can become a member of NCOL.

As of date, around 2,000 cooperative societies have already become members of NCOL or applied for its membership.

The objective of NCOL will be achieved through the facilitation of various activities, including the creation of a knowledge repository and conducting research and development.

The NCOL will also provide support to the cooperative sector and associated companies involved in the production of organic products. This will include financing, capacity building, technical guidance, and establishment and maintenance of market intelligence systems, among others.

The NCOL was registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002 on January 25 this year.

Three major cooperative societies of the country- National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Ltd (NCCF), Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) and two major statutory bodies of the Government of India National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) have jointly promoted the NCOL.