XN000022-1994-07-16+17 — Page 2

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SATURDAY, JULY 16, 1994

SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS MADE BY LOCAL CO-OPERATIVES

* * *

CO-OPERATIVE

SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE BY LOCAL SOCIETIES IN VARIOUS AREAS DURING THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR, THE DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES, DR LAWRENCE LEE, SAID TODAY (SATURDAY).

SPEAKING AT THE 72ND INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATIVE DAY, DR LEE SAID THE MOVEMENT CONTINUED TO BRING BENEFITS TO PEOPLE WHO UPHELD THE PRINCIPLES, IDEALS AND PRACTICES OF CO-OPERATION.

REVIEWING THE PROGRESS OF THE CO-OPERATIVE MOVEMENT, DR LEE SAID THE TOTAL NUMBER OF REGISTERED CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES AT THE END OF MARCH THIS YEAR WAS 342.

65 OF THIS, HE SAID,

WERE FARMERS' CO-OPERATIVES, 67 WERE FISHERMEN'S AND THE REMAINING 210 WERE MAINLY URBAN-BASED SOCIETIES. THESE SOCIETIES HAVE A TOTAL MEMBERSHIP OF 21,357.

DR

ON FARMERS' CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES,

LEE SAID DURING THE YEAR UNDER REVIEW, A TOTAL OF 27 VEGETABLE MARKETING CO-OPERATIVE TONNES OR $425 SOCIETIES HANDLED 110,000

MILLION WORTH OF FRESH

VEGETABLES, REPRESENTING

PER CENT OF THE

OF THROUGHPUT

THE

VEGETABLE MARKETING ORGANISATION (VMO).

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"THESE DR LEE SAID:

AND FISHERIES

THE

SOCIETIES ALSO WORK CLOSELY WITH DEPARTMENT IN

VEGETABLE PROMOTING LOCAL NUMBER OF AGRICULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS COVERING SOME 50 HECTARES OF CULTIVATED LAND.

AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION, AND UNDERTAKE A

"THEIR FEDERATION HAS PLAYED AN ACTIVE ROLE IN ESTABLISHING LINKS FOR TECHNICAL INTERFLOW WITH THE CHINESE COUNTERPARTS.

"WITH VMO'S SPONSORSHIP, THE FEDERATION

VEGETABLE

RECENTLY ORGANISED A FARMERS

SPAIN AND TO HOLLAND, EXPERIENCE IN ADVANCED METHODS OF

STUDY TOUR FOR 19 LOCAL BRITAIN TO UPDATE KNOWLEDGE AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTION AND MARKETING."

22 REGARDING AGRICULTURAL CREDIT, DR LEE POINTED OUT THAT SOME

LOAN FUNDS POR CENT OF $8.6 MILLION LENT TO FARMERS FROM THE VARIOUS

CO- ADMINISTERED BY HIS DEPARTMENT WAS CHANNELLED THROUGH THE FARMERS' OPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN 1993/94.

OF AGRICULTURE TURNING TO FISHERMEN'S SOCIETIES, THE DIRECTOR AND FISHERIES, AS REGISTRAR OF LOCAL CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES, SAID

MILLION WORTH OF FISH WERE LANDED AT 64,000 TONNES OR $573

THE MARKETS OPERATED BY THE FISH MARKETING ORGANISATION (FMO).

THE

LOANS TOTALLING $25 MILLION WERE GRANTED TO MEMBERS DURING YEAR, MAINLY FOR THE BUILDING OF NEW FISHING VESSELS AND THE PURCHASE OF

HE FISHING EQUIPMENT,

SAID, ADDING THAT SAVINGS OF MEMBERS THE BUILD-UP OF THE CAPITAL OF CONTINUED TO CONTRIBUTE TO REVOLVING LOAN FUNDS NOW STANDING AT $6.7 MILLION.

THEIR

/IN AUGUST