Nghe An establishes an average of 20-30 new agricultural cooperatives each year.

(Baonghean.vn)-Voters requested the Provincial People's Committee to pay attention to, evaluate, and direct the implementation of the work of building new-style cooperatives (currently, there are 129/480 communes in the province that do not have new-style cooperatives).

The relevant authorities responded to this issue as follows:

As of December 31, 2016, the province had 438 cooperatives operating in the agricultural sector, with approximately 150,000,000 members. Of the 438 agricultural cooperatives, 391 cooperatives (35 newly established in 2016) had converted their operations according to the 2012 Law, while the remaining 47 cooperatives had not yet been reorganized according to the Law on Cooperatives.

According to voters, the number of communes without cooperatives is mainly in mountainous districts (Ky Son has 17 communes, Tuong Duong has 13 communes, Thanh Chuong has 13 communes, Nghia Dan has 9 communes). Establishing cooperatives in mountainous communes is very difficult because these communes do not have the need to establish cooperatives; some communes in the plains (such as Nghi Loc has 9 communes) do not have cooperatives, however, this number accounts for a smaller proportion.

A rice field of Phu Hau Agricultural Cooperative. Photo courtesy

According to the provisions of the Law on Cooperatives, the establishment of cooperatives is voluntary; however, since the Law on Cooperatives 2012 took effect (from July 1, 2013), the direction of cooperatives to reorganize their operations according to the Law and the mobilization of localities to establish new cooperatives according to the Law in the province has received attention and direction from the entire political system from the provincial to local levels. In particular, some districts have focused on drastic direction such as the districts of Quynh Luu, Yen Thanh, Dien Chau, Do Luong, Thanh Chuong, Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen.

Every year, based on the proposal of the People's Committees of the districts, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development announces the target for establishing new agricultural cooperatives for the districts, with an average of 20-30 new agricultural cooperatives established each year.

Currently, the Provincial People's Committee has issued the Project on innovation and development of cooperatives for the period 2014 - 2020 in Decision 231/QD-UBND dated January 20, 2014. At the same time, the province has a policy to support the establishment of new cooperatives in Decision No. 87/2014/QD-UBND dated November 17, 2014 ''stipulating a number of policies to support investment in agricultural and rural development in the province'', accordingly, each newly established cooperative is supported with 20 million VND.

Bamboo toothpick production at Que Son Cooperative (Que Phong), documentary photo

Thus, in the past time, the issue of directing the establishment and conversion of new-style cooperatives according to the 2012 Cooperative Law has been given great attention and direction by all levels and sectors. In order to promote the development of the collective economy (especially cooperatives) in the coming years, the Provincial People's Committee will request relevant departments, sectors and localities to continue implementing the following solutions:

- Continue to disseminate the 2012 Law on Cooperatives to all levels of Party committees and local authorities, especially to households in rural areas so that people understand the role and position of cooperatives and voluntarily participate in and establish cooperatives;

- Strengthen and develop cooperatives that have organized activities according to the 2012 Law on Cooperatives so that cooperatives can operate effectively;

- Develop multi-sector cooperatives linking production with consumption, encourage cooperatives to build stores to consume safe agricultural products and food, especially encourage links between agricultural cooperatives and businesses;

The Provincial People's Committee also assigned the People's Committees of districts, especially mountainous districts, to pay attention to directing communes without cooperatives to promote the establishment of new cooperatives, clearly defining the role and position of cooperatives in socio-economic development in localities associated with new rural construction, thereby having orientations for the establishment of agricultural and non-agricultural cooperatives suitable for each locality.

Gia Huy

( Synthetic)