The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) is targeting a business turnover of approximately ₹46,000 crore in the current financial year — a significant jump from the ₹33,000 crore recorded last year — and is confident of exceeding that mark, Chairman Jethabhai Ahir said on Saturday, 26 September 2026.

Turnover Target and Business Outlook

Addressing members at NAFED's Annual General Meeting (AGM) in New Delhi, Ahir confirmed that the federation's combined procurement and business operations were valued at around ₹33,000 crore last year. He expressed confidence that the figure could climb to roughly ₹46,000 crore this year and said the organisation was well-positioned to surpass even that revised target.

NAFED is also working to strengthen its procurement infrastructure and improve market access for farmers, Ahir said, framing the push as part of a broader rural empowerment agenda.

Procurement Target Tied to Market Conditions

NAFED Managing Director Deepak Agarwal outlined a separate procurement target of around ₹30,000 crore for the current year, while cautioning that actual volumes would hinge on prevailing market dynamics and agricultural output. He explained that government procurement under NAFED typically rises when market prices fall below the minimum support price (MSP) and contracts when open-market rates stay above it.

'Procurement does not take place merely because a target has been set. It depends on market conditions and production levels at the relevant time,' Agarwal said.

Weather patterns, crop yield variations, and broader market forces are among the factors NAFED monitors when calibrating its procurement operations, he added.

Drone Didi Initiative and Technology Push

Chairman Ahir linked NAFED's expansion strategy to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Drone Didi initiative, underscoring the federation's intent to bring women, youth, and farmers into a technology-driven agricultural campaign. 'Following the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Drone Didi initiative, NAFED wants to bring women, youth and farmers into this campaign so that modern technology can be used more extensively in agriculture and help increase farmers' incomes,' Ahir said.

The initiative represents NAFED's bid to extend its mandate beyond commodity procurement into precision agriculture and rural digital inclusion.

New Welfare Scheme for Farming Families

The AGM also cleared a fresh welfare measure under which NAFED will allocate one per cent of its net profit annually towards the education of children from farming families. The move signals a shift toward long-term social investment alongside the cooperative's commercial growth objectives.

Capital Expansion and Cooperative Membership

Agarwal noted that an increase in share capital approved at the AGM would enable more cooperative societies to join NAFED, while also bolstering the organisation's overall financial capacity. The move is intended to widen NAFED's cooperative base at a time when the federation is scaling up both procurement and commercial operations.

With rural incomes under pressure from variable monsoons and commodity price swings, NAFED's expanded targets and welfare commitments could have a direct bearing on millions of farmers who depend on cooperative procurement as a pricing backstop.