Over 100-Year-Old Cooperative Society Transforming Lives of Farmers in Punjab

An over-100-year-old cooperative society in the agricultural heartland of Punjab's Hoshiarpur district has become a paragon of community cohesion, offering farmers multiple services to boost productivity and enhance their living standards.

The Lambra Kangri Multipurpose Cooperative Service Society Ltd, which was set up in July 1920 with just 11 members, has evolved into a multipurpose primary agriculture credit society (M-PACS), providing farmers with a host of facilities, including loans, farming equipment on rent, and supply of ultra-low-cost biogas kitchen fuel.

It has transformed into a multi-dimensional institution serving four villages - Lambra, Beron Kangri, Dudiana Kalan and Baggewal - catering to over 3,700 people, with around 1,922 active members, says its secretary-cum-project manager Jaswinder Singh Saini.

Now, the society has total deposits of approximately ₹ 31 crore through savings and fixed deposit accounts, and it has extended loans worth around ₹5 crore, covering activities such as agriculture, education, housing, vehicles and women empowerment.

Nearly 2,900 customers, including regular and nominal members, avail its services daily, Saini says.

The society has set up a custom hiring centre for giving farming equipment on rent, as well as an agro-processing centre for value addition of farm produce.

According to Saini, a defining moment for the society came in 1997-98 when a member, Partap Singh, donated his fixed deposit of ₹80,000 to address transportation challenges faced by villagers.

Using these funds, the society started a tempo taxi service connecting Bulhowal, Lambra and Hariana. However, the move ran into regulatory hurdles, as cooperative societies were not authorised to operate transport services.

With the intervention of the then Joint Registrar Kahan Singh Pannu, the society was upgraded to an M-PAC on July 19, 1999, which proved as a milestone, opening doors for diversification and expansion, Saini says.

To support small and marginal farmers, the society offers for rent more than 90 agricultural equipment, including tractors, paddy transplanters, harvesting and threshing machines, rotavators and seed drills.

Drone technology is also being used for precise spraying of fertilisers and pesticides, reducing chemical use and saving time. Farmers are provided seeds, fertilisers, and diesel, ensuring a comprehensive support system, Saini says.

This has helped farmers reduce cultivation costs significantly and improve productivity, he says.

Besides, the society has set up an agro-processing centre at a cost of about ₹1 crore under government schemes.

Equipped with facilities such as an 'atta chakki' (flour mill), a mini rice sheller, an oil expeller and grinders (for grinding grains, spices, animal feed), the centre allows farmers to process their produce locally.

This reduces dependence on middlemen, lowers transportation costs and increases farmers' income through value addition.

Processed products like flour, oil, rice and spices are marketed directly to consumers, he says.

The society has also undertaken environmental projects.

A biogas plant, operational in Lambra and Beron Kangri villages, supplies gas to households through metered connections. The cost is significantly lower than LPG, with fuel equivalent to an LPG cylinder costing approximately Rs 276, he says.

The biogas plant has a capacity to produce 100 cubic meters of gas per day.

For this plant, cattle dung is procured from Lambra and Beron Kangri villages at ₹8 per kg.

Saini says the society has also installed a wastewater treatment plant , which treats nearly 4 lakh litres of wastewater daily and addresses the issue of sewage.

"Materials like fly ash are used for filtration, while solar-powered systems have been installed for lifting the water," he says.

He further says that while a small quantity of treated water is currently being used by farmers for irrigation, a large quantity of the resource goes unused.

"We have submitted a proposal to the government seeking permission to store the treated water at the village's common pond, as the society does not have adequate storage infrastructure at present," Saini says, adding that once the storage is allowed, pipelines can be laid to channel this water for irrigation throughout the year.

The society runs a Common Service Centre, offering Aadhaar and other online services to villagers.

It has also set up a Jan Aushadhi Kendra under a central government scheme to provide affordable medicines to locals.

Other facilities offered by the society include ambulance, physiotherapy, gym, medical camps and shuttering material for construction needs, says Saini.

Also, a computer training centre, which was earlier operational in collaboration with a Chandigarh-based institute, trained rural youth in basic digital skills and is expected to resume soon.

The society has also digitised its operations, ensuring efficiency and transparency in financial transactions and service delivery.

Looking ahead, it plans to undertake projects such as grain storage facilities, solar energy systems, bio-CNG production and paddy straw management to further strengthen rural sustainability and address environmental concerns, says Saini.

The society has earned recognition for its contributions to rural development, sustainability, and community welfare.

Its major accolades include the NABARD Best Performance Award (2025), the NCDC Best Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society Award under the Excellence category (2023).

The society was also honoured with the Punjab State Award (2024) by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for its innovative sustainability initiatives, including a community piped biogas network and a rice-husk-ash water purification system.