Status of Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies: An Aggregate and Statewise Analysis

Primary Agricultural Co-operative Societies (PACS), along with Farmers Service Societies (FSS) and Large Sized Adivasi Multi -purpose Societies (LAMPS), form the lowest base of the cooperative credit syslem in India These base-level institutions are affiliated to the district fcntrpl cooperative banks (DCCBs) at the district level, which in turn are filiatcd to the State Co-operative Banks (SCBs) at the state level. Besides the crcdit business, PACS are also involved in non-cdit business like agricultural inputs, public dimibution system, etc. Over the several decades of thcir esrablishmenc barring the construction of rural godowns under theNational Co-operative Development Corporation's scheme, no significant develop ment has taken plaa in the case of PACS. Of course, the Business Development Plans c r c . a little enthusiasm, but not for long. In view of these, this paper attempts to assess the status of PACS critically to cxamine thcir prospects, particularly in the context of their competitive mvironment.