About Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS):
- These are village-level cooperative credit societies that serve as the last link in a three-tier cooperative credit structure.
- These are headed by the State Cooperative Banks (SCB) at the state level.
- Credit from the SCBs is transferred to the district central cooperative banks, or DCCBs, that operate at the district level.
- These DCCBs work with PACS, which deals directly with farmers.
- Individual farmers are members of the PACS, and office-bearers are elected from within them. A village can have multiple PACS.
- The main function of the PACS is to provide short and medium-term purpose loans to its members.
- Other functions include:
- Supplying of agricultural inputs including seeds, fertilizers, insecticides, etc.
- Maintaining the supply of the light machinery for the agricultural purpose.
- Providing marketing facilities that could enhance the sale of their agricultural products.
- Promote savings habits among its members.
Q1) What are cooperative societies?
Co-operative societies are profit-oriented entities which aim to obtain marketability for the products produced by agricultural and other labour-intensive businesses. These societies work on the principle of self-help as well as mutual help. The primary goal is to provide support to the members.
Source: Govt to utilise PACS as ‘drone entrepreneurs’ for spraying fertilizers
Last updated on January, 2026
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