To strengthen the primary agriculture cooperative societies (PACSs) and enhance their business by more footfall, Punjab government intends 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.
Disclosing this in a workshop on PACSs, additional chief secretary cooperation DP Reddy said there was 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, he said.
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. He disclosed that around 30 per cent PACSs were in losses and others running with thin profits.
“So it was need of the hour to strengthen these cooperative societies vis-a-vis to turn them into profit earning ventures,” he said adding 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.
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.