The role of Farmers’ Union in supporting cooperative groups needs bringing into full play (continue)
17:12 - 07/11/2016
FU’s experiences in value chain: According to Mr. La Van Doan (Vice Chairman of Bac Giang Provincial FU):
Based on the survey of the province, only 20% of cooperative groups works effectively. There are many problems in the development of value chains for cooperative groups, cooperatives such as: legally binding contract between the parties is lax; weakcooperation of farmers; unclear FU’s role,…To enhance the role of FU in the development of cooperative groups, cooperatives, the Provincial FU has developed a project for approval, in which, focusing on organizing sharing experience workshops and presentors must have their own effective models; organizing exchange visits for farmers to learn experience in order to improve their understandings of value chain; preliminary and final review to replicate the model, advise farmers to link among each other in the most effective way. In the current situation,genuine labors almost have lower income than grabbing ones, so FU needs to support them with developing their brand name, then helps to raise product value, ensure their profits.
Mr. Nguyen Van Xa (Vice Chairman of Dak Nong Provincial FU) said that recently the provincial FU had actively collaborated with IFAD to join the project of developing cooperative groups, cooperatives with value chains of 07 provincial products. When IFAD finished the project, FU needed to keep developing it. One important thing is to bring into full play the role of “linking four stakeholders” such as: Cooperatives Alliance who jointly developscooperative groups, cooperatives; Department of Trade and Industry with certification on safe products; enterprises n charge of inputs, outputs; Vocational training and farmer supporting center of FU and wholesales market with collecting and consuming products for farmers…
With these research findings and experiences shared at the workshop, in the near future, FU will select value chain criteria of cooperative groups, cooperatives that ensure sustainability, keep inheriting and promoting the efficiency of the projects that IFAD has successfully deployed. Moreover, FU will study to change form, form, content, ways to support,… thereby, help cooperative groups, cooperatives free and developed, contributing to improve income for every farmer member.
By Xuan Dinh