Farmers organizations (FOs) under the AFOSP-MTCP2 program participated in the 8th ASEAN Cooperative Business Forum held at the Prince Palace Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand on 26-27 February 2019. Representatives from ACEDAC as well as development partners also attended the forum.
During the forum the participants exchanged and shared experiences in cooperative promotion and the success of marketing cooperative products; visited two successful agricultural cooperatives in Ratchaburi, Thailand and learned from their experiences; and established cooperation among cooperatives in ASEAN, leading to sustainable development for the benefit of cooperative members.
Products of FOs such as coffee, honey, sugar, rice, and coconut were exhibited and sold during the forum.
This year’s ACBF themed “Enhancing the Competitiveness of Cooperative Products in the Market and Cooperation among Cooperatives in ASEAN Countries” was hosted by the Cooperative Promotion Department (CPD) of Thailand.
Learning Visit to Nongpho Ratchaburi Dairy Cooperative
About two hours from Bangkok is the province of Ratchaburi, where the Nongpho Ratchaburi Dairy Cooperative is located. Nongpho Ratchaburi Cooperative Limited (Under the Royal Patronage) is one of two sites visited by the participants of the 8th ASEAN Cooperative Business Forum on 27 February 2019.
The participants, which includes farmers and farmers’ organizations under the AFOSP-MTCP2 program, were toured around the cooperative’s museum where they learned about the history of the cooperative. The delegates also went to the production site to see some of the operations and production processes of the cooperative. They were also able to had a learning session with board members of the cooperative as well as try their milk products.
Nongpho Dairy Cooperative has been in existence for 40 years now. It has been operating to fulfill the royal wish and expectation of Thailand’s King Bhumibol. The cooperative produces pasteurized and U.H.T. milk and supply various milk products to the entire country.
A notable feature of the cooperative is that part of the shares of the members is used to fund the education of their children.
As of May 2018, the Nongpho Dairy Cooperative has 4,930 members and a share capital of 308,929,430 baht (USD 9,687,409).
The cooperative is engaged in the following businesses and activities:
- Credit and Savings Business. Members of the cooperative are encouraged to save. This also serves as their source of funds for expanding dairy farming business.
- Petrol Station. Across the Nongpho Dairy Cooperative factory is a gas station that mainly serves to sell fuel for their members’ vehicles as well as to the general public.
- Dairy Hut. Adjacent to the factory are a couple of cafes that serves and sells dairy products such as milk and ice cream.
- Convenience Store. Located beside the Dairy Hut is a store where various products such as food and other day-to-day goods are sold.
- Agricultural Extension Services. The cooperative also provides extension services to its members in the areas of dairy farming and farm management.
- Animal Feed Factory. The cooperative also operates a factory of animal feed that are sold to the members at reasonable price.
When asked if they plan to transform the cooperative into a company o a corporation, one of the board members of the cooperative answered that they do not have a plan yet to transform to a corporation and that they are happy to stay as a cooperative because this way, they are able to provide more benefits to their members.
Right now, the cooperative only accepts members who are into dairy farming and are residents of Ratchaburi.
View photos of this field visit here
Learning Visit to Baan Rang Si Mok Ratchaburi Agricultural Cooperative
Participants of the 8th ASEAN Cooperative Business Forum, which includes farmers and farmers’ organizations under the AFOSP-MTCP2 program, went to Baan Rang Si Mok Ratchaburi Agricultural Cooperative Limited in Ratchaburi, Thailand for a learning visit on 27 February 2019.
The board members and other cooperative members had a learning session with the ACBF delegates where they shared about the beginnings of the cooperative and their current status. Rang Si Mok Agricoop started out as a cooperative cultivating asparagus. However, one time, their crops were all damaged by a bacterial infection. They then shifted to cultivating coconuts and other fruits such as guava and rose apple. Right now, the cooperative sells coconut products and other fruits locally and abroad.
The delegates were also toured around the production site to see the process of preparing and producing the coconut products of the cooperative. They also went to see the coconut plantations. The cooperative provided refreshments including fresh fruits and coconut juice for the ACBF delegates to try.
Rang Si Mok Agricultural Cooperative was established on July 2005 with 47 initial members and a share capital of 855,550 baht (USD 26,828). The cooperative is located at Damnoen Saduak District, in the province of Ratchaburi in Thailand, an area suitable for cultivation of vegetable and fruits.
The cooperative was established with an objective to support its members on production, marketing, supplying facilities and agricultural equipment and to provide knowledge and technical know-how to its members.
As of March 2018, the cooperative has 268 members with a share capital of 3,102,200 baht (USD 99,496).
Rang Si Mok Agricultural Cooperative is engaged in the following businesses and activities:
- Credit Business. The cooperative provides loan for its members that need it.
- Marketing Business. The cooperative is in the business of selling young coconuts and other fruits.
- Collecting Business. The cooperative collects coconuts from its members and sell these locally and abroad. The cooperative exports coconuts to Taiwan.
- Supply Business. The cooperative purchases farm inputs such as fertilizes, farm chemicals, milled rice, and other consumers goods from private companies and sell these to its members.
- The cooperative also rents out the covered space located infront of their production site for various activities such as weddings, birthdays, etc.
From the cooperative’s net profit, they set aside funds for education, members’ and public welfare and for the development of the cooperative’s operation.
View photos of this field visit here
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About AFOSP-MTCP2
AFOSP-MTCP2 is a capacity building program funded by the European Union with co-financing from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. The program is being implemented in seven ASEAN countries through the consortium Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) and La Via Campesina (LVC). AFOSP-MTCP2 supports the strengthening of national farmers’ organizations (FOs) and their national platform towards improving their institutional capacity to deliver economic services to their members as well as to effectively engage them in policy processes. At the ASEAN level, the consortium AFA – LVC works in partnership with the ASEAN Foundation in expanding the spaces for the engagement of FOs in ASEAN processes.
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