Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday directed officials to undertake a study to improve the functioning of District Cooperative Marketing Societies (DCMS) in the backdrop of Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) being linked to 'Rythu Bharosa Kendras' (RBKs).
He gave the directions during a review meeting of the cooperative department, noting that the study was necessary to support the farming community and women self-help groups by extending loans on lesser interest rates and handholding them to strengthen village economies.
RBKs are one-stop centres set up by the YSRC government to provide guidance to farmers on agricultural activities and address their grievances.
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"Since RBKs are functioning like branches of AP State Cooperative Bank (APCOB) and district cooperative central banks (DCCB), and every PACS is having jurisdiction over three to four RBKs, which have been extending credit and non-credit services, the functioning of DCMS should also be improved to extend their services to suit the changed circumstances," said Reddy in a press release.
He stressed on the need to integrate the primary and secondary food processing systems with DCMS. Reddy called for DCMS to ensure minimum support price for various agricultural products on the lines of the CM app.
As AP is majorly an agrarian state, the CM observed that the cooperative banks and societies as well as marketing societies should be strengthened. According to the CM, PACS should act as a regional office for RBKs and instructed officials to digitise them by November. Meanwhile, officials informed Reddy that transactions in PACS rose from Rs 11,885 crore to Rs 21,906 crore in the past four years while 400 PACS faced losses.
