The total number of societies of all kinds was 1,116 in 1966-67, of which about 71 per cent were agricultural credit societies, 18.37 per cent non-agricultural credit societies, 9.86 per cent agricultural non-credit societies and 0.80 per cent non-agricultural non-credit societies. It is also remarkable that agricultural credit societies accounted for 80.32 per cent of the total share capital, and 88.79 per cent of the total working capital of all co-operative societies together in 1966-67.

By the end of 1967-68, the movement had a membership of about 1,50,245 and covered 1,486 villages in the district. The number of societies increased to 1,121 in 1967-68. The movement benefited to a considerable extent from the pioneering role played by the District Central Co-operative Bank which had 17 branches in 1967-68. The bank had under its fold 936 member societies and 112 individual members, and advanced Rs. 661.28 lakhs by way of credit in the same year. Besides financial accommodation, it provides guidance and direction to the entire co-operative movement in the district. The District Land Development Bank having three branches made remarkable progress during the span of three years from 1965-66 to 1967-68. The loans advanced by this bank stood at Rs. 11.54 lakhs in 1965-66, Rs. 20.06 lakhs in 1966-67 and Rs. 29.62 lakhs in 1967-68. All these statistics speak for the achievements by the co-operative movement in the district.

An appraisal of the movement in the district, however, reveals that there is good progress in the field of agricultural credit, while its performance in the fields of cottage industries, processing industries, fisheries, irrigation, dairying, etc., is by no means satisfactory. These fields are also important in so far as they furnish future prospects of providing employment to a considerable number of persons. Secondly, the movement has remained more as a rural credit movement than as an instrument of encouraging production and marketing of produce. Its performance in the domain of agricultural marketing, which is so vital in an agrarian economy, is far from satisfactory. The co-operative movement could have been utilised as a powerful instrument for giving " infant industry" protection to the numerous cottage industries and forest industries. The traditional cottage industries and handicrafts could not stand the hazards and problems confronted by the modern industry and the consumer oriented market for want of proper finance, better techniques and equipment. These requisites could be made available to the artisans through the co-operative fold more effectively. So also is the case with the various forest based industries which could have found an effective panacea in the co-operative movement.