Odisha to create over 100 co-op societies in Ganjam

Berhampur: The Odisha government has decided to open 82 new primary agriculture cooperative societies (PACS), 21 primary milk cooperative societies and to make five PACS as multi-purpose societies in Ganjam district, an official said on Sunday.

This was decided at the Ganjam District Cooperative Development Committee meeting, held under the chairmanship of District Collector Dibyajyoti Parida at Chhatarpur recently. The Collector has directed the cooperative officials to prepare the feasibility reports for opening up of the new PACS in panchayats, where there is no PACS, the official said.

Out of 503 panchayats in the district, the PACS are functioning in 421 panchayats at present. Last year, 21 new PACS were opened, said Biswaranjan Das, Deputy Registrar of the Cooperative Societies (DRCS), Ganjam. Similarly, at present, 55 primary milk cooperative societies are functioning under the Greater Ganjam-Gajapati Milk Cooperative Union.

As per the decision of the Central government, each uncovered gram panchayat will have a PACS or a primary dairy or fishery cooperative to generate employment opportunities. This will enable farmers to realise better prices for their products, and expand their markets, he said.

The DRCS said they have already identified five PACS in the district to develop as multi-purpose cooperative societies. The main purpose of the multi-purpose cooperative societies is to diversify the business activities of the PACS and to make them vibrant economic entities at the panchayat level. “We will further study their potential before recommending the government to upgrade them as multi-purpose societies,” said Das. He said the PACS at Dakhinapur, Kukudakhandi Bipulingi, Bada Baranga and Dharakote will be upgraded as multi-purpose societies

The PACS will undertake business activities including dairy, fishery, setting up of godowns, procurement of food grains, sale of fertilisers, seeds, LPG, petrol and diesel etc. The societies will also set up common service centres, fair-price shops.