Management :
(a) Number of directors: Every producer company shall have at least 5 directors and not more than 15 directors. (Section 581O). The proviso to the section states that in the case of the Inter-State Co-operative Society incorporated as a producer company, such company may have more than 15 directors for a period of one year from the date of its incorporation as a producer company.
(b) Appointment of Directors (Section 581P): The members who sign the memorandum and the articles are designated as first directors and shall govern the affairs of the company until the directors are appointed at the Annual General Meeting.
The Election of Directors shall be conducted within 90 days from the date of registration of the producer company.
In the case of Inter-State Co-operative Society the election shall be held within a period of 365 days.
The period of office of a director shall be not less than one year and not exceeding 5 years as may be specified in the articles.
The directors retiring by rotation in accordance with the articles shall be eligible for re – appointment as a director.
Normally, the directors of the Board shall be elected or appointed by the members in the Annual General Meeting.
The Board may also co-opt one or more expert directors or an additional director. Such directors cannot exceed 1/5th of the total number of directors. The expert directors shall not have the right to vote in the election of chairman but shall be eligible to be elected as chairman if it is provided by the articles. The maximum period for which expert director or additional director holds office shall not exceed such period as may be prescribed in the articles.
(c) Vacation of office by directors (Section 581Q): The office of the director of a producer company shall become vacant if—
(a) he is convicted by a court of any offence involving moral turpitude and sentenced in respect thereof to imprisonment for not less than six months;
(b) the Producer Company, in which he is a director, has made a default in repayment of any advances or loans taken from any company or institution or any other person and such default continues for ninety days;
(c) he has made a default in repayment of any advances or loans taken from the producer company in which he is a director;
(d) the producer company, in which he is a director—
(i) has not filed the annual accounts and annual return for any continuous three financial years commencing on or after the 1st day of April, 2002; or
(ii) has failed to, repay its deposit or withheld price or patronage bonus or interest thereon on due date, or pay dividend and such failure continues for one year or more;
(e) default is made in holding election for the office of director, in the producer company in which he is a director, in accordance with the provisions of this Act and articles;
(f) the annual general meeting or extraordinary general meeting of the producer company, in which he is a director, is not called in accordance with the provisions of this Act except due to natural calamity or such other reason.
The above provisions may also apply to the director of a Producer institution, which is a member of a producer company.
(d) Powers and functions of Board (Section 581R): The Board of directors of a producer company shall exercise, subject to articles, all such powers and to do all such acts and things, as the company is authorised so to do. These powers may include all or any of the following matters, namely:
(i) determination of the dividend payable;
(ii) determination of the quantum of withheld price and recommend patronage to be approved at general meeting;
(iii) admission of new member;
(iv) pursue and formulate the organisational policy, objectives, establish specific long-term and annual objectives, and approve corporate strategies and financial plans;
(v) appointment of a Chief Executive and such other officers of the producer company, as may be specified in the articles;
(vi) exercise superintendence, direction and control over Chief Executive and other officers appointed by it;
(vii) cause proper books of account to be maintained; prepare annual accounts to be placed before the annual general meeting with the auditor’s report and the replies on qualifications, if any, made by the auditors;
(viii) acquisition or disposal of property of the producer company in its ordinary course of business;
(ix) investment of the funds of the producer company in the ordinary course of its business;
(x) sanction any loan or advance, in connection with the business activities of the producer company to any member, not being a director or his relative;
(xi) take such other measures or do such other acts as may be required in the discharge of its functions or exercise of its powers.
All the above powers may be exercised by the Board, through a resolution passed at its meeting on behalf of the producer company. However, a director or a group of directors, who do not constitute the Board, shall not exercise any of the powers exercisable by it.
(e) Liability of directors (Section 581T): When the directors vote for a resolution, or approve by any other means, anything done in contravention of the provisions of this Act or any other law for the time being in force or articles, they shall be jointly and severally liable to make good any loss or damage suffered by the producer company.
The producer company is having the right to recover from its director—
(i) where such director has made any profit as a result of the contravention of law or articles, an amount equal to the profit so made;
(ii) where the producer company incurred a loss or damage as a result of the contravention of law or articles, an amount equal to that loss or damage.
(iii) The liability imposed under this section shall be in addition to and not in derogation of a liability imposed on a director under this Act or any other law for the time being in force.
(f) Committee of directors (Section 581U): The Board may constitute such number of committees as it may deem fit for the purpose of assisting the Board in the efficient discharge of its functions. However, the Board shall not delegate any of its powers or assign the powers of the Chief Executive, to any committee.
A committee may, with the approval of the Board, co-opt such number of persons as it deems fit as member of the committee. However, the Chief Executive appointed under Section 581W or a director of the producer company shall be a member of such committee.
Every such committee shall function under the general superintendence, direction and control of the Board, for such duration, and in such manner as the Board may direct.
The fee and allowances to be paid to the members of the committee shall be such as may be determined by the Board.
The minutes of each meeting of the committee shall be placed before the Board at its next meeting.
(g) Meetings of Board and quorum (Section 581V): A meeting of the Board shall be held not less than once in every three months and at least four such meetings shall be held in every year.
Notice of every meeting of the Board of directors shall be given in writing to every director for the time being in India, and at his usual address in India to every other director.
The Chief Executive shall give notice as aforesaid not less than seven days prior to the date of the meeting of the Board and if he fails to do so, he shall be punishable with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees. However, a meeting of the Board may be called at shorter notice and the reasons thereof shall be recorded in writing by the Board.
The quorum for a meeting of the Board shall be one-third of the total strength of directors, subject to a minimum of three.
Subject to provisions in the articles, directors including the co-opted director, may be paid such fees and allowances for attendance at the meetings of the Board, as may be decided by the member in the general meeting.
(h) Chief Executive and his functions (Section 581W) : (1) Every producer company shall have a full time Chief Executive to be appointed by the Board from amongst persons other than member.
(2) The Chief Executive shall be ex officio director of the Board and such director shall not retire by rotation.
(3) Save as otherwise provided in articles, the qualifications, experience and the terms and conditions of service of the Chief Executive shall be such as may be determined by the Board.
(4) The Chief Executive shall be entrusted with substantial powers of management as the Board may determine.
The Chief Executive shall manage the affairs of the producer company under the general superintendence, direction and control of the Board and be accountable for the performance of the producer company. Without prejudice to the above the Chief Executive may exercise the powers and discharge the functions, namely:
(a) doing administrative acts of a routine nature including managing the day -to-day affairs of the producer company;
(b) operating bank accounts or authorise any person, subject to the general or special approval of the Board in this behalf, to operate the bank account.
(c) making arrangements for safe custody of cash and other assets of the Producer Company;
(d) signing such documents as may be authorised by the Board, for and on behalf of the company;
(e) maintaining paper books of account; preparing annual accounts and audit thereof; placing the audited accounts before the Board and in the annual general meeting of the member;
(f) furnishing members with periodic information to appraise them of the operation and functions of the producer company;
(g) making appointments to posts in accordance with the powers delegated to him by the Board;
(h) assisting the Board in the formulation of goals, objectives, strategies, plans and policies;
(i) advising the Board with respect to legal and regulatory matters concerning the proposed and on going activities and taking necessary action in respect thereof;
(j) exercising the powers as may be necessary in the ordinary course of business;
(k) discharging such other functions, and exercising such other powers, as may be delegated by the Board.
(i) Secretary of a producer company (Section 581X): Every producer company having an average annual turnover exceeding five crore rupees in each of three consecutive financial years shall have a whole-time secretary, who possesses membership of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India constituted under the Company Secretaries Act, 1980 (56 of 1980). If a producer company fails to comply with this, the company and every officer of the company who is in default, shall be punishable with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees for every day during which the default continues:
In any proceedings against a person in respect of an offence, under this section, it shall be a defence to prove that all reasonable efforts to comply with the provisions of section were taken or that the financial position of the company was such that it was beyond its capacity to engage a whole-time secretary.