Why in the news
NABARD held a capacity-building and sensitisation workshop on the cooperative grain storage plan in Hojai district, Assam, on 28 June 2026. Cooperative officials, NCDC, FCI, warehouse and bank representatives and PACS members attended.
Key facts
- Venue and date: Jugijan Samabai Samity Ltd, Hojai (Assam); Sunday, 28 June 2026.
- Speakers: NABARD’s District Development Manager Rajendar Perna explained the aims; Assistant Registrar of Cooperative Societies Deepak Bathari said Kapashbari Samabai Samity Ltd was picked for a godown and invited other eligible societies to join.
- Approval: Union Cabinet, 31 May 2023; run by the Ministry of Cooperation under Amit Shah (Home and Cooperation).
- Coverage: 24 States/UTs; described as a pilot / central-sector initiative.
- Vision: Sahakar Se Samriddhi (prosperity through cooperatives); the Ministry of Cooperation was set up on 6 July 2021.
- Approach: convergence of existing schemes to build decentralised farm infrastructure at the PACS level.
Schemes merged under the plan
| Ministry | Schemes pooled |
|---|
| Agriculture and Farmers Welfare | AIF, AMI and SMAM |
| Food Processing Industries | PMFME |
- AIF is the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund.
- AMI is the Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure Scheme.
- SMAM is the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization.
- PMFME is the PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises scheme.
Facilities created at PACS
| Facility | Role |
|---|
| Godowns / warehouses | Storage close to farms |
| Custom Hiring Centres | Access to farm machinery |
| Processing units | Milling plus sorting and grading |
| Fair Price Shops | PDS retail outlets |
| Procurement centres | Direct link with FCI and state agencies |
Objectives
- Cut post-harvest grain losses
- Strengthen food security
- Stop distress sales and help farmers get better prices
- Lower transport costs between procurement centres, warehouses and Fair Price Shops
- Turn PACS into multifunctional bodies
About PACS
- Primary Agricultural Credit Societies form the grassroots tier of India’s three-tier cooperative credit set-up.
- Chain: NABARD, then State Cooperative Banks, then District Central Cooperative Banks, then PACS.
- India has over 100,000 PACS with more than 130 million farmer members.
Significance
- Decentralised storage supports buffer stocks and the PDS.
- Farmers can wait for better prices instead of selling in distress.
- Helps reduce food grain losses estimated at about 15%.
- Marks a shift from output alone towards storage, credit and processing.
Exam angle
- Which ministry runs the plan? Ministry of Cooperation.
- Cabinet approval date: 31 May 2023.
- Implementation tier: PACS; four converging schemes (AIF, AMI, SMAM, PMFME).
- NABARD Grade A: direct topic for cooperative-sector and rural infrastructure questions.