NCEL and APEDA sign MoU to boost Co-op-led Agri Exports

National Co-operative Exports Limited (NCEL) and the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tuesday in Delhi to strengthen India’s cooperative-led agricultural export ecosystem.

The MoU was signed by Abhishek Dev, Chairman of APEDA, and Unupom Kausik, Managing Director of NCEL, in the presence of Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation.

This strategic partnership underscores the government’s commitment to synergizing the strengths of the Ministries of Cooperation and Commerce and Industry, as part of efforts to empower cooperative institutions to compete globally under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of Union Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah.

Dr. Bhutani explained that aligning NCEL’s expansive cooperative network with APEDA’s export facilitation mechanisms will enhance value realization for farmers, support rural livelihoods, and strengthen India’s position in global markets.

The MoU is designed to help cooperative societies adopt a structured and professional approach toward export readiness. It emphasizes capacity building and training in global quality standards, food safety, export documentation, and compliance procedures, aiming to integrate APEDA’s technical expertise with NCEL’s outreach capabilities.

The partnership will enable cooperative societies to access international trade fairs, benefit from data analytics, and receive commodity-specific export strategy support. The focus will be on various sectors, including fruits, vegetables, spices, processed foods, cereals, and animal products. Structured training programs and workshops will facilitate knowledge transfer, helping cooperative societies align their operations with global market requirements.

Pankaj Kumar Bansal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, added that the MoU empowers NCEL with policy support and technical expertise from APEDA, enabling its members to pursue export excellence, access new markets, and achieve premium prices for their produce. He emphasized the role of the MoU in strengthening market intelligence capabilities, infrastructure support, and international branding efforts.

This agreement represents a major step toward developing a resilient and competitive cooperative export ecosystem. It aims to integrate APEDA’s infrastructure and market access capabilities with NCEL’s national network of cooperatives, delivering tangible economic benefits to farmer-members.

The cooperation aligns with the objectives of the newly launched National Cooperation Policy, which envisions enhancing the cooperative movement’s contribution to national economic growth.

By leveraging NCEL’s position as the national umbrella organization for cooperative exports and APEDA’s mandate to promote export market development, the partnership will drive export readiness, improve market positioning, and ensure infrastructure augmentation.

The initiative will enhance the capacity of cooperative societies to participate more effectively in global trade, increase their competitiveness, and unlock new opportunities for India’s agricultural exports, thereby reinforcing the government’s vision for a stronger cooperative sector.

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