The Indian Chamber of Commerce is proposing to organize SAHYOG – Empowering FPO's FPC's & SHG's - A Conclave on Harvesting Cooperation & Cultivating Sustainable Livelihoods on 22nd February, 2024 at New Delhi. The mega initiative to transform rural India by facilitating digitisation, providing market linkages, connecting global market through exports and creating storage facilities for Agri Community.

The Government of India has laid immense emphasis on strengthening, bringing transparency, modernization, computerization, creating competitive cooperatives, working constantly to meet the challenge of accessibility to development for every underprivileged in rural areas and on connecting every village with cooperatives, making every village prosperous with the mantra of "Sahakar se Samriddhi" and through this making the country prosperous.

We at ICC strongly feel that PACS -Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) can play a major role in enhancing the capacity, efficiency and effectiveness of the FPOs and FPCs that will be providing multiple services to the farmers and rural agricultural communities, apart from credit and financial services. By strengthening Primary Agriculture Credit Societies, governments and stakeholders like FPO's, FPC's, SHG's and Cooperatives aim to improve the overall state of agriculture, uplift rural communities and promote inclusive economic growth. These efforts can contribute to poverty reduction, food security, and sustainable development in agrarian economies.

In light of this context, the ICC is taking the initiative to host a conclave titled "SAHYOG – Empowering FPOs, FPC's & SHGs"on 22nd February, 2024, at New Delhi. During this event, the ICC will conduct dedicated sessions focused on the empowerment of FPOs , FPC's and Cooperatives. This conclave will serve as an opportune platform for deliberating and devising strategies to bolster and amplify the effectiveness and influence of the Sector. Furthermore, it will present an ideal opportunity for addressing the challenge of ensuring access to development opportunities for the underprivileged in rural areas through Cooperatives. This would be an ideal forum for market linkages between Farmers and Corporates and Banks. ICC would develop the linkage structure and formalise the same through a recommendation paper.

Shri. Amit Shah, Hon'ble Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Cooperation, Government of India, is expected to grace the event with his kind presence.

Event Highlights:

• Maximize capacity building of members of FPOs, FPCs and Cooperatives.
• Encouraging use of high quality farm inputs, seeds, technology upgradation, water management, micro irrigation system and integrated farm practices.
• Role of Smart Farming Technology in enhancing the Farm Management, coping up with Climate Change issues.
• Marketing support and business linkages, post-harvest management processing for increasing farmer's income.
• Exposure to global market by facilitating export of the surplus produce
• Forum to Exchanges Ideas & Network.
• Corporate and Entrepreneurs to showcase their products and services.

Indicative Session Plan

• Inaugural Session with presence of Hon'ble Minister for Agriculture and Union Secretary, Government of India
• Special Plenary Session Policy Framework on FPO/FPC Perspective
• Plenary Session 1 on PACS and FPOs – Exploring Synergies
• Plenary Session 2 on Self-help Groups & PACS – Areas of Collaboration
• Plenary Session 3 on FPOs/FPCs and Corporates partnering for market linkages, & E-Commerce: and export market connections

Participants Profile

• Policy Makers
• Officials of the Central and State Governments
• Industry leaders and agribusiness industry players
• Cooperatives, FPOs and Self Help Groups
• Experts, researchers, academic and extension personalities
• PACS, Banking, Insurance, Financial, Rural and Development professionals