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BANKING TRADE AND COMMERCE
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CO-OPERATIVE MARKETING
Co-operative Marketing: The spread of the co-operative movement had a considerable impact upon the economic status of the agriculturists. The introduction of co-operative marketing which formed an integral part of the strategy of co-operative development effort brought about favourable conditions for the agticultural sellers. Before the introduction of co-operative marketing, the cotton growers used to sell their produce through brokers either at the village level or at tahsil places.
Most of the trading concerns supplying cotton to the textile mills at Bombay, Ahmedabad and Nagpur preferred to
purchase raw cotton through their adatyas in the district. The adatyas advanced small amounts to the agriculturists prior to the harvest time and the farmers were made to sell their produce to the adatyas at a very tow price determined by the merchants arbitrarily. A high rate of interest was charged on the advances. The farmers were not organised and had little control on the disposal of their produce. This state of affairs was sought to be remedied by eminent social workers also known as co-operators.
During the post-planning period the co operative marketing movement gathered momentum under the leadership of a few eminent co-operators. At present the movement has the benefit of a good cadre of co-operators. A number of co-operative organisations sell agricultural produce on behalf of the agriculturists at the market yards. They are licensed by the respective market authorities for doing adat business. They are also instrumental in securing reasonable prices to the agriculturists.
In the district there are, at present, nine regulated markets covering most of the tahsils. At every regulated market there is a separate co-operative purchase and sale society. These purchase and sale societies atongwith a few large size multipurpose societies and the District Purchase and Sale Society work as general commission agents in the market yard and hold the licences issued by the respective market committees to sell the produce on behalf of the agriculturists.
These societies are doing steady work and have shown good progress. An additional co-operative marketing society has been established at Manora besides the usual tahsil sale and purchase societies. These societies recover
loans granted to members of seva sahakari societies from the sale proceeds handled by them in the regulated market.
There are in all 14 purchase and sale societies including the district marketing society. Out of these societies the Purchase and Sale Society Ltd. Patur also does processing business. These purchase and sale societies are established at every block headquarters. Murtizapur Sale and Purchase Society has got a branch at Karanja. Ail the sale and purchase societies of the district work as sub-agents of the Vidarbha Co-operative Marketing Society Ltd. Nagpur, and deal in fertilizers, iron, steel, sugar, cement and agricultural implements. The agricultural produce handled by these marketing societies in the various regulated markets in the district in the year 1968-69 amounted to 2,23,254 quintals the total value of which was Rs. 2,14,32,090. Under the monopoly procurement scheme, all the purchase and sale societies in the district procured about 2,67,660 quintals of jowar in their capacity as a sub-agents of the Maharashtra State Co-operative Marketing Society Ltd. Bombay, and handed over 2,58,330 quintals of jowar to Government during the year 1968-69
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