NAFED

National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd.(NAFED) was established 2nd October 1958.

• Nafed is registered under the Multi State Co-operative Societies Act. (see text box)

Nafed was setup with the object to promote Co-operative marketing of Agricultural Produce to benefit the farmers. Agricultural farmers are the main members of Nafed, who have the authority to say in the form of members of the General Body in the working of Nafed.

The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation is implementing a Price Support Scheme (PSS) for the procurement of oilseeds and pulses at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) declared by the Government, through NAFED, which is the central nodal agency for this purpose.

• NAFED is the national level marketing agency for agricultural products in the Cooperative Sector.

The core objective of NAFED is to organise, promote and develop marketing, processing and storage of agricultural, horticultural and forest produce, distribution of agricultural machinery, implements and other inputs, undertake inter-State, import and export trade, wholesale or retail as the case may be and to act and assist for technical advice in agricultural production for the promotion and the working of its members and cooperative marketing, processing and supply societies in India. (NAFED website)

NAFED and Multi State Cooperative Societies Act 1984

‘Cooperative Societies’ is a State Subject i.e. they are listed in the State List). So the cooperative societies formed under State Acts have to restrict their activities to only one State. So, this is a road block to Multi State Cooperative Societies. To overcome this hurdle, Multi State Cooperative Societies Act was passed in 1942, which was replaced by a Multi State Cooperative Societies act 1984 . This 1984 Act was later replaced by 2002 Act. This act makes provision for creation of Federal Cooperative Societies.