Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday (October 5, 2025) inaugurated India’s first cooperative multi-feed Compressed Biogas (CBG) plant in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar district, calling it a landmark step for the country’s cooperative sector and farmers. The plant, set up at the Maharshi Shankarrao Kolhe Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana in Kopargaon with an investment of about Rs. 55 crore, will produce 12 tonnes of CBG and 75 tonnes of potash daily. Both products are currently imported, and Shah said the project would not only reduce imports but also push India closer to self-reliance.
Addressing the gathering, Shah said this is the first time in India’s cooperative sugar industry that such a facility has been established. He announced that 15 sugar mills across the country will soon receive government support through the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) to set up similar plants. “This will create a new path for sugar mills and make them part of a circular economy model,” he said.
Home Minister also highlighted a series of farmer-centric measures rolled out by the Modi government. He referred to the recently launched “Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses”, under which Rs. 11,340 crore will be invested over six years to make India self-reliant in arhar, urad and masoor.
Farmers registering with NAFED and NCCF will have their entire crop procured at Minimum Support Price (MSP), Shah said, adding that this will benefit nearly two crore farmers nationwide. He also pointed to the decision to distribute 38 lakh seed kits and set up 1,000 processing units under the scheme.
Shah underlined that the Cabinet had recently approved higher MSPs for several crops, including Rs. 300 per quintal for masoor, Rs. 250 for mustard, and Rs. 160 for wheat. He said that over the past decade, MSP for crops like jowar, bajra, pulses, soybean and cotton had doubled, reflecting the government’s commitment to farmers.
He also spoke of GST reforms that bring down rates to 5 percent on tractors, harvesters, irrigation systems, poultry and beekeeping machinery, and organic pesticides. These steps, he said, will provide major relief to farmers.
Lauding the Sanjeevani Group for its initiatives in green energy, women’s empowerment and rural development, Shah said the group had integrated 100 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, supported 1,000 farmers in fisheries, set up Sanjeevani University for 20,000 students, and even launched India’s first rural call centre.
Shah also stressed that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the cooperative sector has been revived and is now becoming a strong pillar of India’s rural economy. He echoed PM Modi’s call to adopt indigenous products, saying self-reliance was key to making India the world’s third-largest economy.
The event was attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, Union MoS for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol and other senior leaders.
