Why is it profitable for agricultural producers to work together and to strengthen cooperation in the agricultural sector
This was told by Ramis Sakhapov, Chairman of the Barakat SKHP, at a recent meeting of the Association of Farmers, Peasant Farmsteads and Agricultural Cooperatives of Tatarstan with the participation of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan - Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Tatarstan Marat Zyabbarov.
- I am the chairman of the cooperative and the head of the Association of Farms of the Aznakaevsky District. Our work to unite small farms began in 2017, when we created a cooperative. The main task was to reduce costs and increase the price of our milk products. And the first step was the sale of milk directly to the factory. We got rid of intermediaries. It is expensive and inexpedient for each farmer to bring his 100 liters to the plant, and together we collected 2.5 tons.
The foundation of our cooperative very successfully coincided with the program of the Ministry of Agriculture of Tatarstan (it started in 2018) to support start-up cooperatives. We took part in it and received a grant of 5 million rubles. They invested money in the development of the cooperative, bought a new 4.2 ton milk tanker and equipment for the primary processing of milk: a pasteurizer, a separator, a cooler and a cart for cottage cheese. Thus, we successfully carry out primary milk collection, cooling and delivery to the factory. After the initial processing, our product has become more expensive (an increase of 3 rubles per 1 liter, and 8 tons a day for the volume that we sell today is already 24 thousand rubles).
The cooperative started its functioning with 9 members, a month later we became 15, then 17, 20, and today it’s 69! There are two drivers, a laboratory assistant, an accountant (also conducts accounting affairs with members of the cooperative and collects documents for competitions and documents for state support). Soon we plan to launch our factory, we want to see our own products in the store. We have become one large organization and intend to accept new members. A cooperative for farmers is one of the few opportunities to find a market for products and get development opportunities.
Cooperation is the right idea and a well-built working scheme. The next step is inter-cooperative work, the unification of the cooperatives themselves. So that we no longer go to the networks, but the networks go to us for our products. The plans include access to the market of the district, and then the republic. And with the help of our Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Tatarstan, these plans are quite feasible! I would like to thank the Ministry of Agriculture of the republic, especially the department of Rishat Khabipov. They are very attentive to us and always help us in anything we need.