The team of the project “Support to Development of Agricultural Cooperatives” started the “Caravan Info-sessions” across the country. The goal is, through direct contact with local farmers, to share information on agricultural cooperatives, the goals of cooperatives, key principles, as well as the benefits of joint agricultural production, as well as sharing best practices from the region and the EU.
Our guests at the first info sessions in Kavadarci, Resen and Ohrid were four representatives of agricultural cooperatives from Vojvodina, R. Macedonia. Serbia. They shared their experiences from the co-operation with the attendees, presenting real examples for challenges that they are encountering, encouraging the audience to think about joint action through agricultural co-operatives.
“Agrodunav from Karavukovo is an old co-operative in which the entire village were members and the entire production was sold through it. In the 1990s things changed, the co-operative went through bankruptcy. But that did not mean the end. A team appeared that decided to revive the co-operative primarily because of personal survival. Today we have 1,800 ha of land, we work 700 ha on lease, we have our own farm, and five years ago we decided to work with fruit growing and to grow cherries. In two years from now we plan to make Karavukovo the main center for cherry growing. The village is alive because of the co-operative. If the co-operative lives, the village lives too”- said Stevan Stanojkovic from the agricultural cooperative Agrodunav.
“The members are not the only-ones who benefit from the co-operative, everyone, especially young people from the co-operative communities, benefit too. The experiences from the co-operatives should be shared not only between co-operatives, but also between countries, because co-operatives contribute to the development of the countries, “said Jelena Nestorov Bizonj from the Vojvodina Co-operative Union.
Nikola Kotarac from the agricultural cooperative Vočar, Slankamen, shared with the attendees that they have build a cooler with their own funds. “The affliction made us join a co-operative, our prices were imposed, we could not do anything ourselves. We had two choices: to join a co-operative or to give up our orchards. We decided to get together, because no matter how strong we are, if we are alone, we can not do anything. Therefore, it is not a question of whether we should, but we must be united so that we can compete together with someone stronger than us. Trust among members is crucial for the success of the co-operative. ”
The project team at the info-sessions informed the attendees of the Calls for Expression of Interest that will soon be published, which include support for the development of agricultural cooperatives.
The meeting in Kavadarci on July 18, 2018 was the first of the “Caravan Info-sessions”, and the day after, on July 19, 2018 the meetings in the villages Tsarev Dvor, Resen and Dolno Lakocarej, Ohrid were held. In the next period, meetings will be held in different places around the country.
Photographs from the session held on 18.07.2018, in the Municipality of Kavadarci.
Photographs from the session held on 19.07.2018, in Tsarev Dvor, Resen
Photographs from the session held on 19.07.2018, in Dolno Lakocarej, Ohrid
