Mostly unmerged
A representative of the Provincial Cooperative Union said that by mid-May, Hai Duong had only two districts, Nam Sach and Gia Loc, reporting on the operations of cooperatives after some communes merged. Gia Loc had no cooperatives that had stopped operating. Nam Sach had eight cooperatives that had stopped operating and were awaiting dissolution, including those that had merged commune-level administrative units. However, none of these units were agricultural service cooperatives.
The above information matches the survey results conducted by reporters of Hai Duong Newspaper and Radio - Television Station. Further research in many districts such as Tu Ky, Ninh Giang, Thanh Ha, Thanh Mien, Cam Giang... shows that most agricultural service cooperatives still operate independently as in the period before the merger of commune-level administrative units.
In 2019, Chi Minh Commune (Tu Ky) was formed by merging Dong Ky, Tay Ky and Tu Xuyen communes. Currently, all 3 cooperatives still operate separately. The only thing in common is that they are under the management of the Commune Production Steering Committee.
At the same time, Tan Huong commune (Ninh Giang) was formed by merging Ninh Thanh and Tan Huong communes. Before the merger, these two communes had 3 agricultural service cooperatives (old Ninh Thanh commune had 2 cooperatives). Currently, all 3 cooperatives still operate independently.
Director of Tan Huong Agricultural Service Cooperative Ha Van Han informed: "We have not received any instructions about the merger from superiors, so all activities are still going on as before, nothing has changed."
Currently, there are two places that have successfully merged agricultural service cooperatives after merging communes: Dinh Son (Cam Giang) and Hong Du (Ninh Giang). This merger was either proposed by the board of directors and members of the two cooperatives or directed by the commune Party Committee to create unity in leadership and management of production activities.
Many difficulties
Many opinions say that for the common development, many agricultural service cooperatives should not operate in the same commune-level administrative unit. Merging not only streamlines the mechanical management apparatus but also helps save on salary costs for the board of directors, promotes collective intelligence in developing services, linking production, exploiting unique strengths, creating many values for cooperatives and members...
Article 95 of the 2023 Law on Cooperatives stipulates that one or more cooperatives may merge by transferring all assets, rights, obligations and legal interests to another cooperative of the same type. However, the current difficulty is that there are still no specific instructions, and even some cooperative managers do not understand this content.
Leaders of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of some districts said that agricultural service cooperatives are economic organizations with legal status, financial autonomy, and charter capital contributions at different levels, so if there are no specific instructions on mergers, it will be very difficult to implement.
In the same commune, there is a cooperative that is operating with difficulty, has very low charter capital, and a lot of public debt. But the remaining cooperative operates effectively, has large funds, and does not want to merge with the cooperative in difficulty.
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Basically, most agricultural service cooperatives in the province are providing the main services of irrigation, seed supply, and rat extermination. Some cooperatives also provide agricultural production materials, and link with enterprises producing rice, vegetables, and aquatic products, etc. in the direction of consuming products for members and farmers. Managers and laborers in these cooperatives are "living well" thanks to a stable source of income.
However, many agricultural service cooperatives, including those that have merged with commune-level administrative units, are facing difficulties due to low management skills of staff and members' capital contributions being only formal, so there is no capital to expand service business.
Many cooperatives rely on the State's support for irrigation fee compensation. However, due to the low level of support while the cost of labor for dredging canals, electricity, and oil to operate pumps is increasing, they are losing capital.
The Director of the Doan Ket Agricultural Service Cooperative in Tan Huong Commune (Ninh Giang) shared: "The very low income makes the salary of the 5 members of the Board of Directors not enough to pay the minimum social insurance according to the region, they have to pay more out of their own pocket. After storm No. 3, two pumps of the cooperative were broken and had to be repaired, but the management staff also had to pay out of their own pocket because the fund was not enough."
In the future, when the district level is abolished, the administrative space of communes will be larger. How to arrange and streamline cooperatives in new communes is also a problem that needs to be solved.
According to Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Chi Minh Commune, cooperatives in communes with similar natural conditions and farming practices can merge with each other. Small, ineffective cooperatives can consider terminating their operations to merge with cooperatives in the same administrative unit, ensuring harmony of interests but also seeing potential for development.
Mergers to increase competitiveness
I think we should study the merger of cooperatives according to regulations to create unity for a larger scale, help increase competitiveness, increase the ability to connect with agencies, units, and businesses to develop new service chains, and improve operational efficiency.
Before merging, it is necessary to carefully review assets and increase exchanges to promote all the strengths of the cooperative. Depending on actual conditions, each cooperative can establish cooperative groups for each field, setting out clear strategies, goals, and operating programs.
In fact, large-scale cooperatives often operate more effectively, provide more services and have more convenient access to credit sources and support policies.
In parallel with the process of preparing to stop district-level operations and establish new communes, competent authorities need to study, review, and issue specific instructions on merging cooperatives.
DOAN NGOC THUAN
Head of Gia Loc District Department of Agriculture and Environment
Diversify services to 'survive' after merger
In 2021, Hong Du Agricultural and Environmental Services Cooperative (Ninh Giang) was established on the basis of merging the Agricultural Services Cooperatives of two communes, Hong Du and Hong Thai.
Immediately after the merger, we reduced the number of Board members by 50% but our operations still encountered some difficulties. The cooperative determined that in order to operate effectively and bring benefits to all parties, it would not only rely on the State's irrigation fee compensation source but also have to research, explore, and diversify services to suit new trends and situations. In addition to providing good services such as irrigation, providing seeds, agricultural materials, and rat extermination, we have developed a service to collect and treat household waste in 7 villages, 2 schools, and 1 enterprise.
In production, we mobilize members and farmers to cultivate the entire area, divide it into 5 large-scale, concentrated production areas, and implement "one area, one variety, one time" cultivation, ensuring both service stages and attracting businesses to participate in supporting production and product consumption. In the near future, the cooperative plans to develop additional services such as land preparation and rice harvesting...
Thanks to the diversity of services, the cooperative's activities after the merger are increasingly developing, the fund is high, the income of the management team is quite good, and the benefits of members are guaranteed.
NGUYEN QUANG QUAN
Director of Hong Du Agricultural and Environmental Services Cooperative
DAWN
Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/sap-nhap-xa-hop-tac-xa-dich-vu-nong-nghiep-hoat-dong-the-nao-412894.html
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