Call to include co-operatives in value chains

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Nick Hislop (left) and Permanent Secretary for Trade, Co-operatives and SMEs and Communications Shaheen Ali at Nalagi Hotel, Nadi. Picture: BALJEET SING

The Government has urged the private sector, in particular tourism and export sectors, to include co-operatives in its value chains.

Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Trade, Co-operatives, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications Shaheen Ali highlighted this during the UNDESA Workshop on Capacity Building for Co-operatives in Nadi yesterday.

“It is entirely feasible to couple these efforts with Government incentives such as tax breaks in the future,” Mr Ali said.

“Ultimately, what will work is success stories of co-operatives doing well in the resource and value addition sectors, while we have a few, there’s no reason why we can’t emulate the success of Fonterra in New Zealand, Dairy Farmers in Australia and of course Amul from India.”

He said in April this year, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade Manoa Kamikamica — while attending the 11th ICA-Asia Pacific Ministers Conference in the Kingdom of Jordan — called on the ICA to allow and empower the Pacific region to play a more prominent role in the organisation and vice versa, given the importance of cooperatives in the Pacific.

Meanwhile, Mr Ali said all sectors of the economy have realised the value of the co-operatives model of business. This includes agriculture, sugar, fisheries and forest, women and youth, and rural ministries have all made co-operatives the prerequisite of their development programs.

“This ensures sustainability. The principles and values of co-operatives, such as collective responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity aligns with the Fijian cultural values ‘solesolevaki’, which emphasises community effort and collective well-being.

“This direct alignment makes cooperative a compatible welcomed mode of business organisation, especially in community, rural and maritime island settings.”