National agricultural meet inaugurated

NEW DELHI, November 25: The 47th general council meeting of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) will be held here tomorr...

NEW DELHI, November 25: The 47th general council meeting of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) will be held here tomorrow under the chairmanship of Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Cooperation Som Pal.

The main agenda for the meeting is to approve the annual report of the NCDC for 1997-98 and to discuss a strategy for effective contribution of the cooperative sector towards the national economy in the wake of economic liberalisation and globalisation.

The role of the NCDC as a financial institution, particularly in the present scenario, and the various steps required to strengthen and expand its base would be discussed at the meeting. During the 35 years of NCDC’s existence, its programmes have been geared towards enhancing agricultural production, creation of storage facilities for farm produce, transporting agro-inputs to the remotest corners of the country and marketing and processing the produce.

NCDC has also been supporting activities related to fishing, poultry, dairy, sericulture, handloom and coir through cooperatives. The general council is the apex policy-making body of the NCDC and comprises 51 members drawn from various agencies involved in development financing through the co-operative sector.