Monthly Bulletin -  February 2001

General Body Meeting of Puncofed was held on 01/02/2001 in which Annual Report of Puncofed for the year 1998-1999 and 1999-2000, action plan for the year 2000-2001 and audited balance sheets from 1994-95 to 1999-2000 were discussed and approved.

Representatives of British High Commission visted Milkfed on 01/02/2001 with a view to promote new trade links between Milkfed, Punjab and Britain in the field of dairy processing.

Board of Directors of PSCB has approved the pension scheme for the common cadre and non-common cadre staff of PSCB in its meeting held on 09/02/2001.

On 12th Feb 2001 a team of 30 members from the Primary Cooperative Societies and Board of Directors of various societies from Manipur visited Puncofed to study the working of cooperatives in the state of Punjab.

Sugarfed organized a workshop on 14/02/2001 on the subject "WTO and its impact on Punjab Agriculture and Sugar Industry". M.Ds and Chief Accounts Officers of all the Cooperative Sugar Mills participated in the workshop. They were enlightened by eminent speakers like Prof. Liaqat Ali, Prof. G.S Bhalla & Dr. Parmod Kumar.

COM presented a cheque of Rs.60,75,857.00/- to CM, Punjab as a contribution towards CM's REleief Fund for the Gujarat Earthquake victims on 22/02/2001. Besides this relief material worth approximately Rs.54.00 lacs was also sent by the cooperative institutions to the Gujarat Government.

A proposal has been sent to government on 23/02/2001 to consider reformulatin of policy for procurement and distribution of Fertilizers and Agro-chemicals through cooperatives. The revised policy envisages:

i)    Procurement and distribution of fertilizer should be divided amongst, Markfed, IFFCO and KRIBHCO as prevalent before May 2000;

ii)    Markfed, IFFCO and KRIBHCO should supply Fertilizer to PACs FOR destination (the Society);

iii)    CMS's should be allowed to procure and distribute popular brands of Agro-chemicals for private companies as may be identified by the State Level Committee, through PACs in their respective jurisdiction while Markfed may continue to distribute Agro-chemicals produced by it through PACs as they used to do earlier.

Nawanshahr Cooperative Sugar Mill is the first in northern India to install "Syrup Clarification System" which will ensure production of exportable quality sugar with ICIMSA 100 or less than that. Final trials have begun on 26/02/2001.

14 Cooperative Sugar Mills have crushed 247.93 lac qtls. of Sugarcane till 27/02/2001. The sugar recovery is 9.63 as against 8.83 of last year. Three of the fourteen Sugar Mills of Ajnala, Jagraon and Zira have closed crushing operations after crushing total available cane in their catchment areas.

NDDB organized a two day meet of the Northern Region Fodder Seed Grid on 27th and 28th Feb. 2001 at Chandigarh to deliberate on quality fodder seeds to Milk Unions, seed multiplication programme and fodder seed marketing.

Milkfed has introduced a new FMD Oil Adjuvant Vaccine in all the Milk Shed area in Punjab for prevention of Foot and Mouth disease. This has the additional benefits like longer immunity, lower dosage volume and dose economy as compare to the conventional vaccine.

Milkfed won the certificate of honour and trophy for the second best maintained round about (Sector 20 and 34) during the Festival of Gardens 2001 organized by the Chandigarh Administration.

Rs.1.50 crores has been granted as a loan on 09/02/2001 by the Punjab Rural Development Board to Spinfed for sustaining the operations of the existing three mills of Bathinda, Goindwal and Abohar. The loan is to be utilized for raw material requirements of the mills.

Government has sanctioned Rs.457.72 lacs from the Punjab State Renewal Fund for terminal benefits to the retrenched workers/staff of CSM Kot-Kapura.

NABARD has sanctioned additional limits of Rs.50.86 crores for short term agricultural loans on behalf of eight CCB's. With this total sanctioned limit for refinance to CCBs has gone up Rs.576.95 crores.

CCBs have advanced Rs.916.64 crores as short term agricultural loans for Rabi 2000-2001 upto 23/02/2001 against Rs.839.78 crores of last year.

PSCB has sanctioned revolving cash credit of Rs.135.00 crores to the CCBs. CCBs have sanctioned Rs.638.88 crores to 68210 beneficiaries under the revolving cash credit scheme.

Under Sehkari Bank Bima Yojana, total membership of all CCBs in the state crossed 1.31 lacs upto Feb.2001.

The recovery of short term agricultural loans of Kharif crop is 79.03% as on 31/01/2001.

PICT conducted six coursed during the month of Feb.2001, of which three short term courses were held for the supporting staff of the cooperative department, dealing with court matters.

PSCADB has advanced loans to the tune of Rs.217.00 crores upto 28/02/2001 as against Rs.324.00 crores for the same period last year. Recovery upto 28.02/2001 by PADBs was 64.7% as agaisnt 68% during Kharif 2000. Due to delayed purchase of paddy crop of the farmers, RCS extended the period of recovery upto 28/02/2001. At SADB level, the Bank has already achieved 100% recovery.

Progress of PADBs in recovery/settlement cases of defaulter over 6 years and in cases ofbuy-back facility under the Sepecial Settlement Scheme which has been extended upto 30/06/2001 to ensure recovery of remsaining settlement amount is as follows:-

Scheme Total Cases Cases Settled upto the level of BLRC
NO. Amount No. Amount
            (Rs. in Lacs)             (Rs. in Lacs)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buy-Back    118        35.79     49        14.62
facility

Defaulters     4295        638.15     264        51.28

The overall progress under Special Settlement Scheme, 2000 is as follows:
           
                        (Amount in lacs)   
Total No.    No. of         No. of Amount of Amount
eligible    cases         cases settlement recovered sofar
Borrowers    prepared    settled   over 6 years    
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No.       Amount          No. Amount No. Amount Amount No. Amount

79691  12301.96     33485    5177.74 31395 3059.26 3059,26 22094 1712.64

There is a proposal to build a chain of cold stores in the state preferably in the cooperative sector. Funding for the cold stores would be arranged through Punjab Agro-Industries corporation which provides loan @ 10% along with subsidy of Rs.12.50 lacs per cold store. All Deputy Registrars havebeen asked to identify one cooperatives society each, having or proposing to have a cold store.