Yogesh K Porwar & Siddarth Sethia
S
ocieties thrive only when they earn farmers’ trust: Bommai
Haveri (Savanur):A country with a strong cooperative sector is a strong country and many states in the Bharath have become stronger because of this, opined former Chief Minister and MP Basavaraj Bommai.
He was speaking on Sunday after inaugurating the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Savanur Taluk Agriculturists’Cooperative Society at Lalateshwara Kalyan Mantap in Savanur town,Haveri district.
Bommai congratulated the president and members of the Savanur Taluk Agriculturists’ Cooperative Society for completing fifty years,noting that it’s a significant achievement for an institution to reach such a milestone.
The cooperative sector plays a vital role in the country. These societies were born out of the members’ hard work, with the organization being formed by members and for members.
Humans naturally form organizations to work together, and when everyone works with sincerity in the cooperative sector,success follows,the former CM said.
Bommai observed that after globalization and liberalization,the market dictates everything.In the market, there’s only profit and loss,with no concern for the welfare of farmers.The market operates purely on supply and demand.
The cooperatives bridge the gap between capitalism and communism, providing justice for everyone.Unlike capitalism,which focuses solely on production without sharing profits, and communism,which focuses on distribution but lacks production,the cooperative sector manages both production and distribution.
He pointed to KMF (Karnataka Milk Federation) as a successful example,which operates from farmers producing milk at the grassroots level to operating internationally.
However,he noted that KSFC (Karnataka State Finance Corporation) has not performed as expected due to a lack of capital.
To address this,the central government has established a National Cooperative Department and appointed Amit Shah,who has vast experience in the cooperative sector, as the minister.
Amit Shah is still the president of his village cooperative society and has worked extensively to support farmers by ensuring minimum support prices through NAFED.
This organization functions through state-level marketing federations,which, in turn,operate through local societies.This system extends from the village to the national level.
Bommai said the central government,in particular,has focused on providing support prices for oilseeds, such as soybeans,urad,sunflower,and green gram.
Bommai recalled how in 2008,a major fertilizer shortage led to unrest in Haveri.After his government came to power, they decided that fertilizer should be distributed through the marketing federation, and seeds should be sold through the Seed Corporation.
This decision allowed the marketing federation, which was in financial distress,to turn profitable within five years, benefiting both the federation and farmers.
Bommai stressed that administrators must be committed to preserving and growing institutions like these.The current administration should demonstrate such commitment to the state’s cooperative sector.
The Savanur society was once in financial distress, facing closure due to heavy interest on loans taken from KCC Bank.At that time, they managed to save the society by selling assets.
Since this society serves farmers directly, it is the management’s responsibility to ensure that the farmers receive good prices for their produce and that the society continues to thrive.When farmers start seeing the society as their own, they will engage with it more actively.
Bommai urged the management to conduct business transparently, ensuring fair prices and weights to win the trust of farmers.He noted that they have already earned a profit of Rs.1.7 crores and should promote the benefits of MSP (Minimum Support Price) more widely.
They must ensure that farmers face no issues, avoid middlemen, and keep growing the institution, thereby making the 50th anniversary truly meaningful.
The event was attended by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, KCC Bank President Shivakumar Gowda Patil,TAPCMS President Dharepagowda Patil, along with the bank’s board of directors and members.
