Southern province minister Daniel Munkombwe has expressed happiness at progress being made in reviving the cooperative movement in the province which had totally collapsed.
And Mr Munkombwe has warned against politicising the management of cooperative societies if they are to serve their intended purpose.
Speaking when he officiated at the commemoration of the International Cooperative Day in Choma yesterday, Mr Munkombwe said it was gratifying to see that the cooperative movement was coming back to life.
The provincial minister told hundreds of residents gathered at the BOMA Square for the commemoration that the development was a result of favourable policies put in place by the new deal government of president Mwanawasa.
He said the new board and management at the Southern Province Cooperative Union (SPCMU) has demonstrated zeal and hard work in resuscitating the once ailing cooperative movement so that it can revert to its vibrant and original role of providing services to farmers.
Mr Munkombwe said it was painful to see the collapse of the cooperative movement in the second republic which played an important role in distributing farming inputs to farmers in the province.
He said the SPCMU had been extensively plundered and stripped of its assets by some government leaders in the second republic leading to its demise.
Mr Munkombwe noted with happiness that under the new deal administration, there has been a deliberate programme to revive the cooperative movement which is are a vital tool in meeting the needs of rural farmers.
Mr Munkombwe however noted that the current set up of most cooperatives is not good because it is slanted towards benefiting individuals at the expense of the community.
He said there should be no politics in the running of the cooperatives if their intended purpose is to be realized.
“Politics should be out when you are dealing with cooperatives,” warned Mr Munkombwe.
He challenged the new board to strive to reach greater heights so that farmers in the province can benefit from the services of the cooperative movement.
And speaking earlier, southern province agriculture coordinator Dr Adrienne Nansungwe attributed the collapse of the cooperative movement in the past to failure to adapt to the changing environment.
Dr Nansungwe said the cooperative movement which had enjoyed monopoly in maize marketing could not survive in a liberalised environment where aggressive private dealers started buying maize from farmers.
He said there is need for cooperatives to be innovative and suit the changing economic environments.
ZANIS/CM/BMK/ENDS
This is what was lacking in zambia while FJT was busy stealing.
These cooperative movements are like an extended family to our rural pipo. They bind and help communities. All emerging economies use them, india, china and vietnam make good use of cooperatives to pass on technologies and information. Only that theif chiluba ignored them.
what a name munkombwe!!!
more like mumbwe:)
Chi #2 senseless comment.
Well done GRZ.But bo Ben Kapita is he going to perform well, Mundia Sikatana was fired.
Its gud to see cooperative movements back on seen. Plz levy dont die we still need your services. We are afrait of monkeys in a maize field such as kalumba, mabenga,and mulogoti.
1. shushushu,
” These cooperative movements are like an extended family to our rural pipo. ”
Maybe the government has now finally found a destination for some of the taxes they get from the mines?
We should be rebuilding physical and social infrastructure like this all over the country.