New MoU Signed: NCEL & APEDA to Empower Cooperative Societies for Exports
New MoU Signed: NCEL & APEDA to Empower Cooperative Societies for Exports
On September 09, 2025, the National Co-operative Exports Limited (NCEL) and the Agriculture and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) came together to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost agricultural exports of Indian cooperative societies. An MoU is a formal document between two or more parties that specifies the shared goals and aims for a collaboration or partnership.
The NCEL and APEDA will together focus on building capacity and training so that the indian export can comply with the global quality standards. The agreement was signed by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Shri Abhishek Dev, Chairman, APEDA and Shri Unupom Kausik, Managing Director, NCEL, signed the MoU on behalf of their organisations in the presence of Dr Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation.
The MoU plays an important role in making India’s cooperative export system stronger and more competitive. The collaboration of APEDA’s infrastructure and good capabilities of market access with NCEL’s wide network will benefit the farmer-members and also boost India’s exports. It will also strengthen the contribution of cooperatives in national growth as planned in the new National Cooperation Policy.
While speaking at the event, Dr Ashish Kumar Bhutani, Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, highlighted that the partnership between NCEL’s Network and APEDA’s export facilitation will increase the earnings of Indian farmers and improve the lives of people living in rural areas. Additionally, it will also boost India’s reputation globally.
He further informed that the Ministry, following the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji and guidance of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah, is working in alignment with their objective to promote the exports of India Cooperative societies so that they can also compete on a global level. He also said that the cooperative societies will be trained through workshops so that they can learn about the global quality standards and food safety. He said that APEDA’s help with exports can be combined with NCEL’s network to make it easier to comply with rules for exporting fruits, vegetables, spices, processed foods, grains, and animal products. This MoU will also support branding, marketing, and taking part in global trade fairs of India’s cooperative societies.