Agricultural product processing cooperatives upgrade their development level, with the Ministry of Agriculture working hard to promote it

From September 21-25, the national training course for demonstration units of farmer cooperatives in processing was held in Beijing, working through policy support, public services, demonstration creation and other means to upgrade the development level of agricultural product processing cooperatives.

It is introduced that farmer cooperatives developing agricultural product processing and distribution, and shifting from cultivation and harvesting to integrated production, processing and sales as well as integrated trade, industry and agriculture, is the general direction and general trend. China's farmer cooperatives develop processing and distribution in diverse forms, including the integrated production-processing-sales type, the type linking farmer cooperatives with leading enterprises, and the type in which leading enterprises establish cooperatives. At present, in farmer cooperatives developing processing, there are still bottleneck problems and practical difficulties such as difficulty in raising funds, restricted land use needs, weak talent introduction, and lack of public services. In response to these problems and difficulties, the Agricultural Product Processing Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture actively carries out work, guiding cooperatives to develop the agricultural product processing industry and promoting cooperatives to become stronger and bigger. First, implement support policies. The "Notice of the Ministry of Agriculture on Doing a Good Job in Key Work of the Agricultural Product Processing Industry in 2015" was issued to support farmer cooperatives in establishing agricultural product processing and distribution requirements. Implement the subsidy policy for primary processing of agricultural products at the place of origin, and support farmer cooperatives in building primary processing facilities such as storage and drying of agricultural products at the place of origin. Promote the implementation of national policies such as tax preferences for primary processing of agricultural products and preferences for water and land use. Second, strengthen public services. Guide agricultural product processing industry management departments in various localities to promptly provide cooperatives with various services such as information, technology, talent, exhibitions and sales, and policies, actively build public service platforms, and promote connections between leading enterprises, scientific research institutes and farmer cooperatives to achieve win-win cooperation. Third, carry out demonstration creation. Guide and drive cooperatives to independently undertake processing and distribution, strengthen integration and alliances, and reduce homogenized and disorderly competition; explore beneficial models such as cooperation between cooperatives and processing enterprises and enterprises establishing cooperatives, and strive to leave the profits of post-production links such as primary processing and distribution to farmers more reasonably.