World Cooperation Economic Forum to Jointly Work with NCUI, CNRI, SKUAST, CITH to Promote Exotic Crops Cultivation in Himalayan Region

The World Cooperation Economic Forum (WCopEF), established to champion the cooperative movement in India, will collaborate with various institutions, including the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI), the ICAR-Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture (CITH), the Confederation of NGOs of Rural India (CNRI), and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences (SKUAST), to promote the cultivation of exotic crops in the Himalayan region through a cooperative framework.

The initial focus will be on promoting Hazelnut, Walnut and other exotic crops across 13 Himalayan States/ Union Territories of the country namely Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Assam and West Bengal), stretching across 2500 km.

In addition to promoting crop cultivation, these institutions will provide skill training and raise awareness among young people about the various innovative government schemes available. This collaborative effort aims to generate five million in-situ employment opportunities in the Himalayan region through a cooperative framework.

The Himalayan region's rich diversity, encompassing demographics, economics, and environment, creates a perfect setting for cultivating unique crops. We at WCopEF are joining forces with esteemed institutions like ICAR-CITH, SKUAST, NCUI, and CNRI to bolster the cooperative movement in the Himalayas and promote the cultivation of hazelnuts, walnuts, and other non-native crops," said Dileep Sanghani, Founder of WCopEF, Chairman of IFFCO, and President of NCUI, during his address at a two-day National Seminar on Horticulture in Srinagar.

“Consider Amul's remarkable achievement. Their success hinges on adding value to milk. The same principle applies to our farmers. By adding value to their agricultural products, we empower them to thrive. When produce gains value, it fetches a premium price, leading to progress for our farmers. India's prosperity is inextricably linked to the success of our farmers and the spirit of cooperation and value-addition is pivotal in this quest," Sanghani emphasised.

Delivering a key note address, CNRI Secretary General Binod Anand said, “Cooperative societies in the Indian Trans Himalayan region need to work closely with the government to encourage farmers cultivate horticultural crops. India has set a target of becoming a 5 lakh trillion economy. This cannot be achieved without the agricultural sector, and focus should be on horticulture crops. There is a need to ensure that horticultural crops reach big cities as soon as possible. Storage and value addition is going to be the key and we at WCopEF are working with all stakeholders towards addressing these challenges.”