JAMMU: Commissioner Secretary Cooperatives, Yasha Mudgal, today chaired a meeting at Civil Secretariat here to review the performance of Farmer-Producer Organisations (FPOs) registered under the Central Sector Scheme across Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by Registrar Cooperatives, Mohammad Shafi Chak; Regional Director, National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC), Lalit Goel; Director Finance, Cooperative Department; Managing Directors of Anantnag Central Cooperative Bank, Jammu Central Cooperative Bank, and Kamco Bank; representatives from SKUAST Jammu and SKUAST Kashmir; and other senior officers of the Cooperative Department.
Addressing the officers during the meeting, Yasha Mudgal emphasised the critical role of FPOs in enhancing farmers’ income, strengthening agricultural value chains, and promoting collective farming practices. She stressed the urgent need for expediting the registration process of remaining FPOs, ensuring the timely release of financial assistance, and providing continuous handholding support to make these organisations sustainable and viable in the long run.
She directed the Regional Director, NCDC, to create widespread awareness among the general masses, especially farmers, about the range of financial loans and other facilities available for the smooth functioning of FPO cooperatives. She assured that all necessary support will be extended to FPO cooperatives for scaling up their business operations as per the guidelines of the scheme. She further directed that capacity building programmes for all FPOs shall be organised in the coming days, and all FPOs should be credit-linked at the earliest to strengthen their financial position.
The Commissioner Secretary instructed all Cluster-Based Business Organizations (CBBOs) to achieve the prescribed milestones without delay so that early release of funds can be ensured by NCDC and FPOs do not face any funding constraints in their day-to-day operations. She highlighted that in view of limited government jobs for youth, FPOs have immense potential to function as powerful livelihood generation accelerators, particularly for strengthening the rural economy and contributing towards the national goals of “Viksit Bharat” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat”.
The Commissioner Secretary directed the administrators of District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) to increase the number of awareness programmes for boosting membership in the FPOs. She emphasised that every FPO must avail the first tranche of the Equity Grant at the earliest to ensure smooth functioning.
She further instructed all concerned officers to ensure better coordination among various stakeholders, including line departments, implementing agencies, and financial institutions, so that the desired objectives of the Central Sector Scheme are achieved within the stipulated timelines.
During the meeting, the Regional Director of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) gave a detailed presentation on the status of FPOs promoted in J&K through various Cluster-Based Business Organizations (CBBOs), including SKUAST Jammu and SKUAST Kashmir, JKDCF, District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs), and YMC.
He briefed the Commissioner Secretary on key performance indicators, including the strength of farmer membership, equity grant released, business turnover achieved, and other mandatory parameters set by the Government of India for availing management cost and equity grant by the FPOs.
