VNHNO - A workshop on the development of agricultural cooperatives in the context of globalisation was held in Hanoi on August 24 by the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance (VCA) and Agriterra, a Dutch agricultural development support organisation.
Topics on the agenda for discussion included the trend of cooperatives amid globalisation, the role of cooperatives in addressing rural and agricultural issues in Vietnam, the current state of cooperatives in Vietnam, and measures to enhance the capacity of cooperatives.
VCA Vice President Nguyen Manh Cuong stated that cooperatives in Vietnam have been active in poverty reduction and rural modernisation programmes and are playing an increasingly important role in agricultural development.
The workshop on cooperatives in the context of globalisation.
However, Vietnamese cooperatives are still facing many weaknesses such as their slow growth, small size and poor management.
Cuong was eager to stress that while Vietnam is deepening its international economic integration, it is highly necessary to enhance the management capacity and competitiveness of cooperatives in order to effectively deal with matters concerning agriculture, farmers and rural areas.
At the workshop, Agriterra shared the Netherlands’ experience in organising, managing and operating cooperatives to adapt to the impacts of globalisation on cooperatives and agriculture.
The workshop also presented an opportunity to build a long-term cooperation plan between the VCA and Agriterra in the time ahead./.
