Aiming to strengthen the primary agriculture cooperative societies (PACS) and enhance their business by more footfall, Punjab Government has decided to transform these societies into ‘cooperative rural hubs’ to provide quality products of essential commodities, electronic goods and other items of daily needs at village level.
Stating this at a workshop on PACSs, Additional Chief Secretary, Cooperation, DP Reddy stressed the need for strengthening the societies in view of their thin profits and asked the department to setup rural hubs in selected PACSs in a phased manner.
Besides this, more 'agricultural service centres' should be established in the PACSs to provide agriculture implements on custom-hiring basis required by the farmers to cut their capital expenditures in purchase of costly tools, said he.
To strengthen the PACSs, Reddy directed the officers to draft a road-map within a period of 15 days for setting up of rural hubs which could be made functional from April this year.
He said that around 30 percent PACSs were in loses and others running with thin profits. So it is need of the hour to strengthen these cooperative societies vis-a-vis to turn them into profit earning ventures, added he advising that in addition to their existing agri businesses these village level societies should be empowered to sell quality products of essential commodities, electronic goods and other items of daily needs in rural areas.
On the occasion, Punjab State Cooperative Bank MD, SK Batish made a presentation for strengthening of PACSs and suggested additional business through rural hubs by which these societies would come out of red and cater to the needs of the farmer members in a better way at their doorsteps.
Reddy also pointed out the needs to prevent stubble burning by the farmers which hampered the life of common man in the state.
He informed that PACSs would provide latest agriculture implements to the farmers on custom-hiring basis to prevent stubble burning which would be beneficial for the societies as well as to the common people for better ecological health thereby preventing many physical diseases.
"A mobile application will also be launched soon to facilitate the tillers to get implements used for management of crop residue and field preparation on custom-hiring basis," he added.