A Co-operatives Forum was held in Ho Chi Minh City on June 21 to seek measures to develop agricultural co-operatives in southern provinces and cities.

Addressing the event, Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat introduced many measures aimed at encouraging co-operatives to develop services for agricultural production; developing co-operatives in the model of multi-sector and specialised sector businesses; renewing management mechanism; and overcoming difficulties.

In the immediate period, co-operatives should implement concrete measures to set up funds in support of co-operative development and build a pilot model of agricultural co-operatives in order to increase the operation capacity of co-operatives, Mr Phat said.

According to the co-operatives agency, southern provinces and cities currently have nearly 2,000 agricultural co-operatives, accounting for 23 percent of the country’s total number of co-operatives. These co-operatives have expanded their operations to provide services with more than two-thirds making profit, while the number of co-operatives suffering losses has been reduced to nearly 5 percent.