Need to unify criteria for evaluating and classifying cooperatives

Currently, the province has 180 cooperatives, including 142 agricultural cooperatives and 38 non-agricultural cooperatives. While the annual assessment and classification of non-agricultural cooperatives is carried out according to the regulations of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, agricultural cooperatives are confused because they do not know whether to assess and classify according to the criteria of the agricultural sector, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development , or according to the state management agency, the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Specifically, these are Circular 01/2020/TT-BKHĐT, dated February 19, 2020 of the Ministry of Planning and Investment on guidelines for classification and evaluation of cooperatives (referred to as Circular 01) and Circular 09/2017/TT-BNNPTNT, dated April 17, 2017 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on guidelines for classification and evaluation of cooperatives operating in the agricultural sector (referred to as Circular 09).

According to many agricultural cooperatives, these circulars are not consistent in terms of the list of criteria, evaluation indicators as well as the grading scale, evaluation forms, methods, and evaluation procedures, which has caused difficulties for cooperatives. Circular 09 was issued earlier (in 2017), so many cooperatives are familiar with evaluation and classification according to this circular. Circular 01 has only been effective since April 2020, so if there is no request from the management agency, cooperatives will mainly follow the old circular because it is still in effect.

In fact, although they are all cooperatives operating in the agricultural sector, some cooperatives follow Circular 01, while others follow Circular 09. Typically, in 2023, Hoa My Tay Agricultural Service Cooperative (Tay Hoa district) scored according to the criteria of Circular 09. In the same year, Hoa Xuan Tay 1 General Agricultural Service Cooperative (Dong Hoa town) scored according to Circular 01.

Both results of the two cooperatives were accepted and valid. According to Mr. Huynh Ngoc Bao, Director of Hoa Xuan Tay 1 General Agricultural Service Cooperative, since 2020 the cooperative has researched and implemented scoring according to Circular 01 when this circular took effect. Due to the lack of specific requirements from the superior agency, it was not until 2 years later that the cooperative officially submitted the assessment and classification report according to Circular 01.

Mr. Le Thanh Lam, Chairman of the Provincial Cooperative Union, said: This problem of cooperatives has been compiled by the Provincial Cooperative Union and sent to the Provincial People's Committee. The Provincial People's Committee has sent a document to the National Steering Committee on Collective Economy, in which it recommended that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment to issue a circular guiding the assessment and classification of cooperatives so that state management agencies and cooperatives can easily implement and ensure consistency.

HAI PHONG

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