Review of the outdated and outdated law on cooperatives, says AGRICOOPS

Context

As cooperatives worldwide celebrates today the 6th of July 2019 the International Day of Cooperatives. The Association of Agricultural Producers and Marketing Cooperatives of Ghana (AGRICOOPS) is committed to defending the course of decent work and the development of agricultural cooperatives in Ghana.

The Secretary General of the Association of Agricultural Producers and Marketing Cooperatives (AGRICOOPS) said that the Parliament of Ghana had failed to revise the Cooperative Society Act (NLCD 252) of 1968, which is outdated and does not correspond to modern trends. seriously affecting the activities of agricultural cooperatives.

This has aggravated the poor performance of the agricultural cooperative sector, which can create millions of sustainable jobs in Ghana. It is in this context that the Cooperative Association of Agricultural Producers and Marketers of Ghana (AGICOOPS), established in 1974 and affiliated to the Ghana Cooperation Council (GCC), has faced many challenges and initiated reorganization processes. . support from the Private Sector Defense Challenge Fund (BUSAC Fund) to conduct research aimed at identifying the challenges posed by the Cooperative Society Act of 1968 and its effects on the development of agricultural cooperatives.

Two-day awareness workshops were held in Ashaiman, Greater Accra region, and Sunyani, Bono region, to disseminate research findings to stakeholders and obtain their contributions. . Participants included members of agricultural cooperatives, civil society organizations, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the secretariat of AGRICOOPS and staff of the cooperative department.

The research that was circulated and discussed included the following conclusions:

• Apart from the unfavorable nature of cooperative law in force, cooperatives are not allowed to be part of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce.
• That some people and organizations view cooperatives as a way to leverage donor funding.
• The current 1968 law also lacks some of the principles of independence and democracy of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) in generating income and seeking profits.

According to Mrs. Christiana Sackey, a member of the Prampram Fish Mongers Cooperative Society and National Treasurer of AGRICOOPS, "Since our cooperative society was incorporated about 33 years ago, no cooperative officer has visited us. After we register, we are left to our fate. In response to this, West Dangbe District Co-op Director Mr. Agyapong said, "It's because of the weakness of our workforce, our logistics, and -sourced

According to Mr. William Darlie, Deputy Registrar of Cooperatives at the Accra Awareness Workshop, about eighty (80) of their employees will be retiring next year and there are no replacement plan to recruit new employees.

Robertson Obiri-Adjei, regional director of the Cooperatives Department of Bono East and Ahafo Regions, said the lack of support and attention from the government meant that the country could derive no significant benefits from the companies cooperatives. Over the years, the department has continued to be neglected, which has rendered it ineffective in fulfilling its mandate.

According to Mr Victor Atsu Alorbu, the general director of AGRICOOPS members lacks the services required by the Cooperatives Department, which prevents him from putting the principles of cooperatives into practice enough.

Given the success of agricultural co-operatives in Ghana in the early 1960s, before N.L.C.D 252 was promulgated as a decree to regulate cooperatives, it was reported that co-operatives exported about 40% of the cocoa produced in Ghana.

The agricultural cooperative has also achieved the following successes in the past:

• The first World Food Day celebrated in Ghana: The celebration of the 1st World Food Day, which culminated in the celebration of Farmers' Day in Ghana, was organized with the support of AGRICOOPS during the mobilization of farmers for the event. October 1986.
• First pineapple shipment to Common Wealth exhibition: In 1985, AGRICOOPS made the first shipment of pineapples exposing the potential of the export value of the crop.
• Mobilization of the rural population for development: At the height of AGRICOOPS 'activities, there were 200,000 primary societies with 80 unions with an average of 20 members per company.
• "Operation feed": The success of this agricultural program is mainly due to the acceptance, education and mobilization of farmers, youth groups and women's groups through AGRICOOPS.

In the future, Mr. KyeiBediako of the Ghana Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Forestry (GHANALAF) emphasized the need for the Government to collaborate with ministries and state agencies, organizations of society "to support the revision of the Ghana Cooperation Law, to ensure that farmers receive adequate support for their production and their contribution to Ghana's economic growth.