Amit Shah launches NAFED’s e-auction portal NAFEX.in

Amit Shah yesterday launched the e-auction portal NAFEX.in of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) in New Delhi. Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Minister of State for Cooperation Shri Krishan Pal Gurjar, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Chairman, NAFED Shri Jethabhai Ahir and several dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Addressing the programme, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that NAFED has today launched four major initiatives, namely NAFEX.in, DRISHTI, ERP and NAFED Kalyan. He said that NAFEX.in and the other initiatives are extremely important because in 2014, NAFED was on the verge of closure, but due to these efforts, NAFED is today serving more than 74 lakh farmers of the country with a turnover of ₹30,000 crore and a profit of ₹500 crore. Shri Shah said that when NAFED was in deep financial crisis, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji decided to run it with complete transparency. He said that the Government of India provided financial assistance and once again placed NAFED on a strong footing.

Shri Amit Shah said that today NAFED has registered a significant increase in both production and procurement. To make the country self-reliant in the pulses sector, NCCF and NAFED will have to move ahead with greater speed towards purchasing every single grain of pulses directly from farmers. This will ensure fair and remunerative prices for farmers, automatically increase the area under pulses cultivation, and make the country self-reliant in pulses.

Union Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that in the last three years, the necessary infrastructure for direct procurement of pulses, maize and other produce has been created. Now this infrastructure has to be taken to the grassroots level. Shri Shah said that NAFED and NCCF will have to work with full determination and transparency, only then will results be achieved. He said that it will be ensured that within the next two years, all farmers are able to sell pulses directly to these two organisations and receive payment directly into their bank accounts.

Shri Amit Shah said that today NAFED is no longer limited only to the procurement of agricultural produce. In the last three years, NAFED has done excellent work in areas such as organic farming, seed production, retail business, bio-fertilizer manufacturing, food security and international trade, which has enhanced both NAFED’s relevance and profitability. He said that when the Ministry of Cooperation was created, NAFED’s turnover was ₹20,000 crore, which has now increased to ₹30,000 crore. He expressed confidence that in the next two years, this turnover will cross ₹50,000 crore. Shri Shah said that NAFED’s net profit has increased from ₹139 crore to ₹405 crore, and its net worth has risen from ₹358 crore to ₹2,050 crore. He said that NAFED has today emerged as a strong, financially capable and self-reliant organisation. The time has now come for NAFED and NCCF to procure every single grain of pulses and other crops directly from farmers with complete transparency, eliminate the entire network of middlemen, and ensure that the profits rightfully belonging to farmers reach them.