@fao rne Representatives of FAO and MALR, as well as board representatives of cooperatives, and Canada’s Union des Producteurs Agricoles (UPA), in addition to university professors and representatives of research institutes, participated in the event.

Cairo, 22 August, 2016: Under the auspices of H.E. Dr Essam Fayed, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation (MALR), FAO launched the project entitled “Support to the Reform of the Law Governing the Agricultural Cooperatives in Egypt” in Ain Sokhna. The workshop aimed at introducing and explaining to stakeholders how the project supports the reform of laws governing agricultural cooperatives via the development of a clear roadmap for law enhancement and implementation. Representatives of FAO and MALR, as well as board representatives of cooperatives, and Canada’s Union des Producteurs Agricoles (UPA), in addition to university professors and representatives of research institutes, participated in the event.

The project is one of many initiatives undertaken by FAO in cooperation with the Egyptian government. These initiatives aim to highlight opportunities offered by the reformed laws governing agricultural cooperatives, and to identify the needs and capacities of stakeholders involved including farmers, cooperatives, the ministry, and relevant organisations.  This is to ensure that such needs are properly addressed when developing an effective framework designed to improve the performance of cooperatives.

In this regard, Dr Hussein Gadain, the FAO Representative to Egypt, said that “an action plan will be developed to support reforms and implementation of laws to activate the work of cooperatives”. This can be achieved by holding several workshops at different levels to exchange expertise and know-how, raise awareness, as well as verify results.

Dr Saad Nassar, adviser to the Minister of Agriculture, said: “The 2030 sustainable agricultural development strategy aims to achieve a 4% annual growth and higher levels of food security, availability of strategic crops, job opportunities, and raw materials for key industries.” He further emphasised that cooperatives are the only means to advancing agriculture in Egypt through assisting farmers in consolidating fragmented agricultural holdings, providing them with technical advice, educating them on best agricultural practices, helping them stockpile produce and connecting them with markets. Cooperatives, in Egypt especially, are capable of providing a variety of services to the local economy given that there are approximately 7,000 present ones with a total of 18 million registered members. This, he said, necessitates reforming and developing these cooperatives.

He added that FAO and the Ministry are partners in all agricultural development projects and strategies in the country. 

It is worth noting that cooperatives enable even the poorest population segments to take part in economic development by providing job opportunities to those who have skills but lack capital, as well as ensure economic protection through mutual support among its members.

Jean-Luc Poirier, Representative of the Montreal-based UPA, recounted previous experiences in improving cooperatives around the world that could potentially be adapted to better fit the Egyptian context.

The participants agreed on the steps needed to promote and advance agricultural cooperatives and support the reform of their governing laws including: exploring and assessing the needs and capacities of stakeholders in the context of the latest law reforms, identifying best practices in the field of agricultural cooperatives reforms to enhance the cooperatives, and drafting a proposal for a programme to expand support for cooperatives in partnership with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and other economic development stockholders.