Cooperatives for Rural Prosperity: Strengthening Uttarakhand’s Cooperative Economy through Value Chains, Quality and Markets
Uttarakhand : PHDCCI brings together Government, cooperative leaders, industry and export bodies in Dehradun to drive value chains, quality, branding and traceability for rural prosperity
Uttarakhand’s cooperatives must move beyond production and compete on quality, brand and market access. That was the clear message from the Uttarakhand Cooperative Summit 2026, organised today by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) at the IRDT Auditorium, Dehradun. Held on the theme “Cooperatives for Rural Prosperity: Strengthening Uttarakhand’s Cooperative Economy through Value Chains, Quality and Markets”, the Summit brought together Government representatives, cooperative leaders, industry, technical experts, professional institutions and market players.
Uttarakhand’s opportunity is distinctive: organic and natural produce, Himalayan and traditional products, horticulture, herbs, dairy and allied activities. The Summit focused on turning this potential into better returns for farmers through aggregation, processing, food safety, packaging, branding and traceability, built on stronger primary cooperatives and PACS.
Opening the Summit, Shri Rupesh K. Pandey, Director, PHDCCI, set the context, calling for the State’s cooperative institutions to be firmly linked with value addition, quality, technology and markets.
Gracing the Inaugural Session as Chief Guest, Hon’ble Shri Ganesh Joshi, Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and Soldier Welfare, Government of Uttarakhand, underlined the central role of cooperatives in rural prosperity and farmer welfare. The inaugural deliberations called for a decisive shift from production-led activity to aggregation, processing, branding, marketing and consumer access, backed by technology, scientific agriculture, quality systems and closer industry partnerships.
Dr. Devendra Bhasin, Vice Chairman, State Higher Education Upgradation Committee, Government of Uttarakhand, pointed to digitalisation, computerisation and emerging technologies, including AI, as levers for transparency, member services, market intelligence and operational efficiency. CMA Navneet Jain, Chairman, Cooperative & NPO Development Board, ICMAI, stressed professional management and stronger institutional linkages so that cooperatives can seize emerging market opportunities. Shri C. B. Singh, General Manager, APEDA, brought the export perspective, highlighting the scope to take Uttarakhand’s agricultural, horticultural and processed products to national and international markets.
Key Deliberations
▪ From production to markets: build aggregation, processing, packaging, branding and consumer access into the cooperative business model.
▪ Quality as the entry ticket: strengthen quality and food safety systems to make cooperatives ready for domestic and export buyers.
▪ Brands built on trust: use traceability, digital marketing and storytelling to create credible cooperative brands around Uttarakhand’s Himalayan products.
▪ Technology and professional management: digitalise PACS and cooperatives, use AI-enabled market intelligence, and professionalise management and financial planning.
▪ Partnerships for scale: deepen linkages between cooperatives, industry, export promotion bodies and professional institutions.
TECHNICAL SESSIONS
Session I – Market Requirements, Quality and Food Safety: Building Market-Ready Cooperatives. Moderated by Shri Rupesh K. Pandey, Director, PHDCCI, the session featured Shri Anand A.D. Shukla, Additional Registrar, Cooperative Societies & Managing Director, Uttarakhand Cooperative Resham Federation (UCRF); Ms. Priyanka Singh, Deputy Director, Department of Agriculture, Uttarakhand; Shri Sanjay Kumar Verma, Former Director, NCUI; and Shri Pradeep Chaudhary, Director, IFFCO and Chairman, Devbhoomi Multistate Cooperative Society. Speakers addressed grassroots cooperative strengthening, farmer–cooperative linkages, capacity building, scientific agriculture and digitalisation, alongside the quality and food safety systems needed to compete in wider markets.
Session II – Traceability, Value Addition, Packaging, Market Linkages and Export Promotion. Moderated by Qazi Mohd. Yunus, Chairman, Uttarakhand State Sheep Goat and Rabbit Farmers Cooperative, the session featured Shri Sunil Kumar Singh, Unati Multi-State Cooperative Society; Shri J.P. Singh, Head, Cooperative Services, BBSSL; and CMA Suresh R. Gunjalli, Central Council Member, ICMAI. The discussion centred on traceability, packaging and branding, the power of digital marketing and storytelling in building cooperative brands, and financial planning for sustainable cooperative enterprises.
The Summit was organised by PHDCCI, with Unati Multi-State Cooperative Society and APEDA as Associate Partners and ICMAI as Co-Partner. Shri Ritesh Kumar Singh, Regional Deputy Director, PHDCCI, delivered the Vote of Thanks at the Inaugural Session, and Shri Rupesh K. Pandey closed the Summit with thanks to the Chief Guest, speakers and participants.
The Summit concluded with a shared commitment to strengthen Uttarakhand’s cooperative ecosystem through quality, value addition, technology, branding, market linkages and industry partnerships, advancing the vision of Sahakar se Samriddhi.
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