PRIMARY PRODUCTION AND MARKETING
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An interesting development during the past four years has been the growth in the number of Co-operative Building Societies; these societies are at present formed exclusively of local pension- able officers of the Civil Service and operate with funds lent by the Government.
During 1959 forty four additional co-operative societies were registered, bringing the total on register at the end of December to 257. The societies registered in 1959 comprised two Vegetable Marketing Societies, six Pig-Raising Societies, two Better Living Societies, one fishermen's Thrift Society, seven fishermen's Thrift and Loan Societies, one Federation of Fishermen's Societies, three Consumers' Societies, two Salaried Workers' Thrift and Loan Societies and twenty Co-operative Building Societies. At present there are fourteen different types of society and their functions and scale of operations are briefly described below:
Vegetable Marketing Societies. The twenty one societies collect and market the vegetables grown by their members, and handle loans obtained for their members both from the J. E. Joseph Trust Fund and from the Vegetable Marketing Organi- zation Loan Fund. In addition, some of these societies have instituted savings schemes for members with a view to en- couraging thrift. In 1959 about 67% of locally-produced vegetables marketed through the Vegetable Marketing Organi- zation came from members of these co-operative societies. Federation of Vegetable Marketing Societies. The Federation was established in March 1953. It has as its object the improvement of liaison between member-societies and the undertaking of a number of activities on their behalf. Its principal and long-term aim, however, is the gradual taking over of the functions of the Vegetable Marketing Organiza- tion. In March 1959, the Federation took over part of the sales floor in the Vegetable Marketing Organization's whole- sale market as the first step towards taking over all opera- tional work within the market.
Pig-Raising Societies. The forty three societies have as their object the provision of assistance to members in increasing pig production and particularly in the provision of credit facilities for the purchase of stock and feed.