The Indian Farmers’ Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) has decided to launch a digital cooperative movement for the benefit of cooperative farmers, said its Managing Director Uday Shankar Awasthi.
Participating in the golden jubilee celebrations of IFFCO organised by Karimnagar area office here on Friday, Mr. Awasthi said in the 21st century where all areas witnessed fast growth, the IFFCO, which was the biggest cooperative in the world, should also go according to the trend and create a digital platform. “We are collecting telephone numbers and Aadhaar numbers of all the cooperative members to create a cooperative family for sharing information and market trends,” he said.
Expressing concern over poor enrolment of women in the cooperative movement, he stressed on the need for women farmers playing a key role in the cooperative movement and hoped that they attend the IFFCO general body meeting. He called upon the farmers of Telangana to go in for water-solvent fertilisers. He said they have equity of Rs. 425 crore and assets worth over Rs. 40,000 crore.
Telangana State Cooperative Apex Bank (TSCAB) Chairman K. Ravinder Rao said that the cooperative societies were selling only 10 per cent of the fertilisers required by the farming community in the State and stressed on the need for encouraging bio-fertilisers and organic farming for better productivity. He said Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has decided to strengthen the cooperative societies and would ensure distribution all subsidised products such as tractors to the beneficiaries through PACS.
IFFCO Director A. Praveen Reddy said that the cooperative was also planning to enter into the seed business and called upon the farmers to go in for water-solvent fertilisers. He opined that the PACS should sell more quantity of fertilisers and benefit the farmers. Nizamabad DCCB Chairman Gangadhar Rao Patwari, Karimnagar DCMS Chairman M. Surender Reddy and others were also present.
Earlier, students captivated the audience with their scintillating cultural programmes. The IFFCO Managing Director also announced cash reward of Rs. 1,000 to each of the student and Rs. 2,000 to the choreographer. Later, the MD felicitated the progressive farmers.
