India’s National Co-operative Exports Limited (NCEL), launched by the government in 2023, has hit a big win by exporting agricultural commodities worth Rs 5,403.01 crore. These include popular items like rice, fresh red onions, sugar, baby food, processed foods, spices, and tea, according to an official update released Friday.
In just two years, NCEL has grown fast. It shipped out 13.49 lakh metric tonnes of farm produce to 28 countries and shared profits with its members. By August 2025, more than 11,034 cooperatives joined as members, including 10,793 primary agricultural credit societies and others.
Union Home Minister and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah praised NCEL’s progress and pushed for more action. He encouraged the group to tap new markets for sugar from cooperative sugar mills, aromatic rice from Tripura, organic cotton, and coarse grains. Shah also spotlighted chances to team up with big companies for exporting fresh vegetables to Gulf countries and special potato varieties.
NCEL now aims high with a goal of Rs 2 lakh crore in exports. Shah stressed that all exports from cooperative institutions should go through NCEL. This move could generate a turnover of Rs 20,000 to 30,000 crore, with net profits flowing back to support local cooperatives.
To boost growth, Shah suggested opening NCEL offices in Africa and Myanmar to handle pulses imports. He also called for a dedicated website that lets cooperative members track global demand and highlight their supply options.
Financially, NCEL posted a net profit of Rs 122 crore on a turnover of Rs 4,283 crore for 2024-25. In 2023-24, it paid a solid 20 percent dividend to member cooperatives. These results show how NCEL could turn India’s cooperative sector into a global player in agricultural exports.
NCEL has inked strategic deals with 61 importers from Senegal, Indonesia, and Nepal. As the key hub for cooperative exports, it signs memorandums of understanding with state and union territory bodies to connect everyone.
The organization links farmers and cooperatives to international markets while creating rural jobs through steps like value addition, storage, packaging, and transportation. It pushes agricultural and allied commodity exports at competitive global prices.
NCEL takes surplus produce from Indian cooperatives and gets it to buyers worldwide, ensuring steady demand and fair prices. It manages everything from procurement and storage to processing, packaging, branding, certification, and marketing. Plus, it secures financing, offers technical advice, builds skills, shares market insights, and ties members to government programs.
All this helps cooperatives build strength and step up in global trade. Under the motto ‘Sahakar se Samriddhi’—prosperity through cooperation—NCEL scales the cooperative model nationwide. It lets local produce and skills reach markets around the world.
Top cooperatives back NCEL, including Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited (KRIBHCO), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED), Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF-Amul), and the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).
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