HYDERABAD, 2 January 2026: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has reinforced its push for cooperative-led rural transformation with the Telangana Cooperative Conclave 2025, held in Hyderabad on 29 December, as part of the celebrations marking the International Year of Cooperatives.
The conclave brought together policymakers, cooperative leaders and financial institutions to discuss structural reforms, technology adoption and diversification strategies aimed at strengthening cooperative institutions across Telangana. Shri Tummala Nageswara Rao, Telangana’s Minister for Agriculture, Co-operation, Marketing, Textiles and Handloom, attended as chief guest and underscored the central role of cooperatives in inclusive and sustainable development.
Addressing the gathering, the minister highlighted Telangana’s agricultural progress, noting that the state has emerged as India’s second-largest rice producer with output of 189 lakh tonnes. He said the International Year of Cooperatives reinforces the principle of “one for all, all for one”, positioning cooperatives as people-centric institutions rather than capital-driven entities. He also acknowledged NABARD’s decade-long interventions to build resilient and future-ready cooperative structures in the state.
A key focus of the conclave was the ongoing transformation of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) into Multi-Service Centres (PACS as MSC), enabling diversification beyond credit into agri-inputs, storage, processing and service delivery. The minister also praised the creation of Sahakara Sarathi Private Limited, a NABARD-promoted initiative aimed at providing technology and operational support to cooperative banks and societies.
During the event, a tripartite agreement was signed between NABARD, the Telangana State Cooperative Apex Bank and 24X7 Moneyworks Consulting Private Limited. The agreement is expected to enable issuance of electronic Kisan Credit Cards (eKCC), allowing farmers to apply for loans through a digital platform and improving access to timely institutional credit.
Eleven best-performing PACS from across Telangana were felicitated, while cheques of INR15 lakh each were presented to 12 PACS functioning as Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) under assistance from the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). NABARD also distributed micro ATMs to Vijaya Dairy cooperatives across nine districts to enhance last-mile financial services.
The conclave featured three panel discussions covering technology adoption in PACS, promotion of dairy cooperatives, and development of fisheries cooperatives. A fireside chat on fisheries focused on innovative business models, marketing linkages, capital requirements and credit integration with PACS, signalling growing policy attention to non-traditional cooperative sectors as engines of rural income growth.
