Context

The Union Cabinet approved setting up of 2 lakh new Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and dairy-fishery cooperatives in uncovered villages and panchayats over the next five years to strengthen cooperative movement in the country.

About

Need

• Primary dairy cooperative societies, around 1,99,182 in number and having around 1.5 crore members, are engaged in procurement of milk from farmers, providing milk testing facilities, cattle feed sale and extension services to members.
• Primary fishery cooperative societies, around 25,297 in number and having around 38 lakh members, provide marketing facilities, assist in procuring fishing equipment, fish seed and feed, besides credit facilities to members.
• However, there are still 1.6 lakh Panchayats without PACS and nearly 2 lakh Panchayats without any dairy cooperative society.

What is in the plan?

• Initially, 2 lakh PACS/dairy/fishery cooperatives would be established in the next five years.
• The action plan for implementation of the project shall be prepared by NABARD, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and National Fishery Development Board (NFDB).

How existing PACS/dairy/fishery cooperatives would be strengthened?

• The ministry seeks to strengthen the existing PACS/dairy/fishery cooperatives through the convergence of various schemes of the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
• The following schemes have been identified for convergence under the current plan:
  • National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD)
  • Dairy Processing & Infrastructure Development Fund (DIDF) under the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying
  • Pradhan MantriMatsyaSampadaYojana (PMMSY), Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development (FIDF) under the Department of Fisheries.