NCEL and APEDA Sign MoU to Boost Cooperative-Led Agricultural Exports

· National Co-operative Exports Limited (NCEL) and Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) Sign MoU to Boost Cooperative-Led Agricultural Exports

· MoU underscores Government’s commitment to synergise the strengths of the Ministries of Cooperation and Commerce and Industry

· Aligning NCEL’s network with APEDA’s export facilitation will enhance value realisation for farmers, bolster rural livelihoods, and strengthen India’s position in international markets

· Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and guidance of Union Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah, the Ministry is empowering cooperative institutions to compete globally

· NCEL and APEDA to focus on capacity building, quality compliance, infrastructure support, and international branding and market positioning

· MoU marks a pivotal step towards building a resilient and competitive cooperative export ecosystem

Strategic MoU Signed to Boost Cooperative Agricultural Exports

National Co-operative Exports Limited (NCEL) and the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen India’s cooperative-led agricultural exports. The signing, witnessed by Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation, reflects the government's commitment to align efforts between the Ministry of Cooperation and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Key Objectives of the Partnership:

· Enhance value realization for farmers and rural livelihoods

· Build capacity through training and workshops

· Ensure quality compliance and food safety for exports

· Provide infrastructure support and market intelligence

· Promote international branding and participation in trade fairs

· Develop commodity-specific export strategies

Impact and Vision: Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and guidance of Union Minister Amit Shah, the initiative aims to empower cooperative institutions to compete globally. The MoU integrates APEDA’s export facilitation with NCEL’s outreach, enabling cooperative societies to access new markets and achieve export excellence. This collaboration is a cornerstone of the newly launched National Cooperation Policy, reinforcing the cooperative movement’s role in national economic growth.

[ABS News Service/10.09.2025]

National Co-operative Exports Limited (NCEL) and the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to forge a strategic partnership aimed at elevating India’s cooperative-led agricultural exports. The MoU was signed in the presence of Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation and it underscores the Government’s commitment to synergise the strengths of the Ministry of Cooperation and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Abhishek Dev, Chairman, APEDA and Unupom Kausik, Managing Director, NCEL signed the MoU on behalf of their organisations.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, said that aligning NCEL’s network with APEDA’s export facilitation will enhance value realisation for farmers, bolster rural livelihoods, and strengthen India’s position in international markets in line with the objectives of the newly launched National Cooperation Policy.

He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji and guidance of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah, the Ministry is working in line with their vision to empower cooperative institutions to compete globally. He said that NCEL and APEDA will jointly focus on capacity building and training, quality compliance for export, infrastructure support and revival, participation in international trade fairs, international branding and market positioning, market intelligence and data analytics, and commodity-specific export strategy formulation.

Dr. Bhutani said that through this MoU, cooperative societies will gain insights into global quality standards, food safety, and export documentations through structured training programmes and workshops. He said that APEDA’s export facilitation efforts can be integrated with NCEL’s outreach network to streamline compliance for fruits, vegetables, spices, processed foods, cereals, and animal products.

Pankaj Kumar Bansal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation said that the MoU empowers NCEL with APEDA’s technical expertise and policy support, enabling its members to achieve export excellence, access new markets, and secure premium value for their produce.

The MoU marks a pivotal step towards building a resilient and competitive cooperative export ecosystem. By integrating APEDA’s infrastructure and market-access capabilities with NCEL’s extensive network, the partnership will deliver tangible economic benefits to farmer-members, enhance India’s export portfolio, and reinforce the cooperative movement’s contribution to national growth as envisioned in the newly launched National Cooperation Policy. By leveraging NCEL’s role as the national umbrella organisation for cooperative exports and APEDA’s mandate to facilitate market development, and export promotion, the partnership will drive export readiness, branding, infrastructure augmentation, and capacity building across India’s cooperative sector.