Cooperatives are essential to agricultural economy: Minister

Local authorities should pay attention to the development of cooperatives, regarding them as an inseparable part of the agricultural economy, agriculture minister Le Minh Hoan has said.

Farmers of an agricultural cooperative harvest their vegetables. (Photo: VNA)
Farmers of an agricultural cooperative harvest their vegetables. (Photo: VNA)

Hoan was speaking at a conference on October 19 to review the implementation of the law on cooperatives in the agricultural sector over the past ten years.

The minister emphasised that investment in agriculture would not be successful without cooperatives.

He added that developing cooperatives will create multidimensional strengths in cooperation, protect cultural values and the environment in rural areas and make a significant contributions to agricultural restructuring.

According to the agriculture minister, cooperatives may not bring in much in terms of growth and income, especially in agriculture, but cooperatives are the foundation for connection, which leads to sustainability.

The number of agricultural cooperatives in Vietnam is expected to reach 18,327 by the end of 2021, an increase of 7,917 compared to ten years ago when the law on cooperatives began to take effect.