Successful Cooperative Models in Nghe An

(Baonghean) - Some cooperatives in Nghe An are proactively finding effective directions for themselves by planning to innovate their production and business plans.

Operating in the purely agricultural commune of Nghi Lam (Nghi Loc), for over 10 years, Nghi Lam Agricultural Service Cooperative has played a good role as a "midwife" for local farmers, and is trusted by the people to consider the cooperative as a support in agricultural production.

To develop in the market mechanism, the cooperative organizes well the production services such as providing plant varieties, fertilizers, pesticides, rat extermination and pest control for people; and irrigation services for in-field irrigation.

The cooperative has received the production of 120 hectares of original rice seeds for Thai Binh Seed Company and Central Seed Company, the amount of rice seeds purchased for members annually is from 300 - 400 tons. In 2014, the cooperative opened an internal credit service, although it has been in operation for less than 2 years, it has initially brought about efficiency, with 560 members participating in the shares and has mobilized savings deposits at times up to 1.7 billion VND, creating a source of capital for members to borrow to facilitate production.

The system of intra-field concrete canals in Nghi Lam commune (Nghi Loc) is managed by Nghi Lam Agricultural Service Cooperative.

The 2012 Cooperative Law has created a suitable mechanism and legal framework for cooperatives to operate more dynamically. Realizing that this is an opportunity for cooperatives to reach autonomy, innovation and integration, the Board of Directors and members of the cooperative quickly organized a congress and officially switched to operating under the 2012 Cooperative Law in early 2015.

Up to now, after one year of operating under the 2012 Law on Cooperatives, Nghi Lam Agricultural Cooperative has had many positive changes in production and business, proactively expanding more service stages to meet the diverse needs of people in agricultural production.

It is noted that currently, many agricultural materials have been signed by the Cooperative with large domestic enterprises to ensure a source of quality goods for members such as urea, NPK fertilizer, pesticides, and to expand the rice seed production area for Thai Binh Seed Company and Central Seed Company.

Quynh Doi Agricultural Service Cooperative (Quynh Luu) - one of the units that actively acts as a "midwife" for farmers in developing agricultural production in the area.

For decades, Nghi Lien Agricultural Service Cooperative (Vinh City) has been a reputable address in supplying seeds, fertilizer materials to serve the production needs of local people, and is trusted by local people to choose the cooperative's products and services. Every year, the cooperative always invests 200 - 300 million VND to buy fertilizer to supply to local people for production loans until the end of the season to repay.

The cooperative directly buys seeds and fertilizers from the manufacturing enterprise at original prices and the products are of guaranteed quality, so people trust and feel secure in production. On average, each year the cooperative supplies people with 3-5 tons of rice seeds and 50-60 tons of various fertilizers.

Irrigation services for 145 hectares of rice production always ensure water sources. In addition, the cooperative also has internal credit activities to meet the needs of depositing and borrowing capital conveniently for members, the mobilized capital at times reaches up to 3 billion VND, ready to lend to people to serve production and business without many cumbersome procedures, trusted by the people, excited to put their full trust in the cooperative. Nghi Lien Agricultural Cooperative has truly become a solid support for members and local people in the production of agricultural products.

The ship repair workshop of Song Lam Production and Service Cooperative actively repairs ships in time for fishermen to go offshore.

Similarly, Song Lam Production and Service Cooperative is also a dynamic unit in the market mechanism, operating in many diverse industries including: Ship repair, seafood processing, construction of traffic, irrigation and civil works, mechanical repair, auto garage, gasoline trading, restaurant business, labor export linkage,...

The cooperative's organizational and management model is both compact and managed and operated. The cooperative has affiliated units operating under the Enterprise Law, including: Song Lam Production and Trading Company Limited, Song Lam Construction and Service Company Limited, and Song Lam General Trade and Service Company Limited.

Mr. Le Thanh Ty, General Director of Song Lam Cooperative shared: "Although operating in many different fields and industries in the context of fierce competition with other economic sectors, Song Lam Production and Service Cooperative still develops steadily, creating more jobs and stable income for workers, the average salary in 2015 increased by 6% compared to the previous year. The reason for achieving this result is that the Cooperative has encouraged the initiative and creativity of its member units, daring to do and taking responsibility. Adjusting the management contract work each year to suit the actual situation".

In 2015, the Labor Export Center under the Cooperative's General Trading and Service Company sent over 400 workers to work abroad. At the same time, the Cooperative has completed 1 project and is preparing to construct 3 projects with an investment of about 25 billion VND. In addition, the Cooperative has had many innovative and flexible measures to meet the demands of the market, deserving to be the leading unit of the cooperative sector in the province.

Quynh Lan