How to become bigger and stronger when cooperatives unite again

editor's note

"A single thread is difficult to make a thread, and a single tree is difficult to make a forest." Farmers banded together to form specialized cooperatives, and individual cooperatives with few resources struggled in the face of ever-changing markets. The same words "United Society" in the names of Sijixiang United Society, Xiangfu Vegetable United Society and Aokun Organic Apple United Society tell us that cooperatives work hand in hand to learn from each other and seek common vision. This is the future of cooperative development. Let's see how these cooperatives come together and flourish.

Four Seasons Fragrance Apple Professional Cooperative Association_

Apples sell for a good price

Zheng Wei Xiao Liwei Li Youmin

The heavy snow season has passed, but farmers in Weibei are still busy with apples. In Baishui County, Shaanxi Province, a chance opportunity, the reporter met the director of the Four Seasons Fragrance Apple Professional Cooperative Association Duan Hongmin. He's such a busy man! A moment arranged apple allocation, people arranged apple delivery, and soon got up to receive merchants. In front of reporters, he could not hide his inner excitement. In his words, it was worth it to be busy for the majority of members!

The association was only established in August 2013, and in a short period of time, it has united 14 cooperatives, named "Four Seasons Fragrance Association". The association has more than 3100 members, driving nearly 7000 farmers. The total area of orchards is 23,000 mu, of which 2200 mu has passed the national organic apple certification. Such a large scale, let alone in this county, even in Shaanxi Province, is also a handful.

There is a fruit farmer named Cao Xiehu in the Xianguo Apple Professional Cooperative under the association. It's amazing! In November 2010, he ascended the podium of Harvard University in the United States and delivered a speech entitled "Science has changed my life", which was praised by the host of the college, Kauder Bayer, and hundreds of people under the stage. Having seen the world, he thought his co-operative was too small and lacked voice in many places. For example, it is difficult to directly link with manufacturers due to insufficient batches; such as green apples and organic apple certification, due to small scale, certification is difficult and costly. For this reason, he was distressed and anxious, looking forward to an organization that would combine scattered small cooperatives and strive for greater market initiative.

In 2013, Cao Xiehu's wish was finally realized. Xianguo, Renhe, Yunfeng and other cooperatives in the northwest of the county formed the first association in Baishui County. Facing the big market, Lianhe not only built two Apple stores in Xi'an, but also built a store in Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province. This year, the association has built 4 new stores in Nanning, Guangxi, Dao City and Xi'an, Hunan Province, and its market influence has increased significantly. Now the association not only grows apples, but also stores apples, directly wholesale and retail, and the income of members increases rapidly.

In 2014, white water apples were harvested again. Duan Guangjie, a fruit farmer in Duanjiayuan Village, Yuntai Town, told reporters excitedly: "After the cooperatives unite, our confidence in development is more sufficient." Last winter, the association organized us to carry out training, summer organized more than 10 villages tens of thousands of acres of apple orchards unified prevention and control of diseases and insect pests. As a result of the unified first-level procurement by the association, fertilizers and pesticides are almost 30% cheaper than in the past. More importantly, with the continuous increase in the number of external windows of the association, the premium apples have become more valuable. Now that one sells for two, we are all rushing to make premium apples." Said, he took out an apple from the cold storage to the reporter to see,"like this apple, not the best, the market purchase price per catty higher than the neighboring village 5 cents!"

At this time, several fruit farmers surrounded, everyone said: "The most rare thing is that the union strength is big, once which member family production and life difficulties, the union within the fund mutual aid, really helped a lot." "Now we are applying for organic apple certification. In the future, organic fruits will be launched in batches. Apple prices will be higher and benefits will be better."

Li Shiping, director of the county fruit industry bureau, said with emotion: "After the establishment of the association, the power of the market has been greatly enhanced, and now the potential power of fruit farmers has been exerted." Growing good fruit, hiding good fruit and selling good fruit have become the consensus of everyone. The fruit growers, who formerly grew fruit only in orchards, are no longer confined to orchards, but are increasingly present among enterprises, in large markets, and even in international trade."

Finally, Li Shiping added,"This is the true meaning of 'Four Seasons Fragrance'!"

Xiangfu Vegetable Professional Cooperative Association

An embarrassment leads to a final union

Xu Chunguang

In Zhucheng City, Shandong Province, many people know about Xiangfu Vegetable Professional Cooperative Association. The association has absorbed 7 vegetable professional cooperatives and 3 economic entities to join, with 2368 members, 3300 mu vegetable base under "nanny" full trusteeship and more than 30,000 mu field under "menu" semi-trusteeship.

"I always thought that it was a big family in the local area. The quality of the dishes was good and the output was high. If I could sell them at a good price in a big city, I would go to Shanghai to run the market. A vegetable wholesaler urgently needed 30 tons of winter melon, but the cooperative only had a production capacity of 10 tons. I contacted several cooperatives and big growers. They either didn't plant winter melon, or the planting area was small and the output was small. Even the 20 tons of goods were not collected. In the end, this business was still in trouble." Recalling the embarrassing scene in Shanghai Vegetable Wholesale Market a few years ago, Qiu Yaoguang, president of Oasis Vegetable Production Cooperative, has been deeply moved.

In 2011, relying on Yongfengsheng Agricultural Products Professional Cooperative, 7 vegetable professional cooperatives and 3 economic entities including Oasis were absorbed to register and establish Xiangfu Vegetable Professional Cooperative Union in Zhucheng City.