New Delhi, Sep 26 (IANS) National Co-operative Exports Limited (NCEL), set up by the Government in 2023, has achieved the impressive milestone of exporting Rs 5,403.01 crore worth of agricultural commodities, including rice, fresh red onion, sugar, baby food, processed food, spices and tea, according to an official statement issued on Friday.

In just two years, it has built a wide membership, exported 13.49 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of agricultural produce to 28 countries, and shared profits with members. By August 2025, as many as 11,034 co-operatives have been granted membership of NCEL, including 10,793 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies and other cooperatives, the statement said.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah has urged NCEL to explore new export opportunities for sugar from co-operative sugar mills, aromatic rice from Tripura, organic cotton and coarse grains. He also highlighted the potential for partnerships with large companies to export fresh vegetables to Gulf countries and special potato varieties.

An ambitious target of Rs 2 lakh crore exports has been set for NCEL. Union Minister Shah directed that exports of all co-operative institutions should be routed through NCEL so that a turnover of about Rs 20,000–30,000 crore and net profits can flow back to the co-operatives.

He also suggested setting up NCEL offices in Africa and Myanmar for pulses imports and developing a dedicated website to help co-operative members understand global demand and showcase their supply capacity.

NCEL has achieved a net profit of Rs 122 crore with a turnover of Rs 4,283 crore for 2024-25. During 2023-24, NCEL paid a 20 per cent dividend to its member co-operatives. These achievements underscore NCEL’s potential to transform India’s co-operative movement into a global force, the statement said.

NCEL has also signed strategic agreements with 61 importers from Senegal, Indonesia and Nepal. It acts as the nodal agency for co-operative exports and signs MoUs with state and UT-level bodies.

The organisation links stakeholders to global markets and creates rural jobs through value addition, storage, packaging and transport. It promotes exports of agricultural and allied commodities at internationally benchmarked prices.

NCEL aims to take surplus produce from Indian co-operatives to global markets, ensuring better demand and fair prices. It supports exports by handling procurement, storage, processing, packaging, branding, certification and marketing.

Alongside this, it arranges finance, provides technical guidance, builds skills, develops market intelligence and links members with government schemes.

In doing so, it strengthens the capacity of co-operatives and expands their presence in international trade. Through NCEL, the cooperative model has been scaled up to the national level, enabling local produce and skills to find markets across the globe under the guiding vision of ‘Sahakar se Samriddhi’ – prosperity through co-operation, the statement explained.

NCEL has been promoted by five leading co-operatives – Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative Limited (IFFCO), Krishak Bharati Co-operative Limited (KRIBHCO), National Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED), Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF–Amul) and the National Co-operative Development Corporation (NCDC).

–IANS

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