International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) President Pauline Green has expressed strong concern over a government panel’s proposal for agricultural reform, which includes breaking up of Japan’s agricultural cooperative system.
The Council for Regulatory Reform proposed on Wednesday, May 14, that the supervisory function of the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zenchu) should be abolished to give primary farm co-ops freer hand to run their businesses. It also said JA’s mutual aid and credit businesses should be transferred to other agricultural financial institutions.
In a letter sent to JA-Zenchu President Akira Banzai by Tuesday, May 27, Green said the draft proposals “would clearly attack the very fundamental principles of the (co-operative) movement – membership and control in particular.”
Green highly evaluated the integrated nature of the agricultural co-operative structures in Japan, which includes primary, credit, insurance, guidance and audit functions, saying that it has been “a critical part of the success of the movement.”
“Please be assured of the full support of the ICA and my personal engagement in this campaign (to oppose the proposals),” Green wrote in the letter.
Cooperatives Europe President Dirk Lehnhoff also sent a letter to Banzai, expressing deep concern over the proposals, saying they are attempts to destroy the agricultural cooperative system.
Referring to the so-called Raiffeisen movement, which formed the foundation of agricultural cooperatives in Germany, Lehnhoff showed support for the JA-Zenchu, saying a strong national federation which supports primary farm co-ops is necessary and absolutely important to protect the lives of farmers nationwide.
<International Co-operative Alliance>
ICA is the world’s largest non-governmental organization which unites, represents and serves cooperatives around the world. The organization, which was first established in London in 1895, currently has 272 member organizations from 94 nations as of October 2013, representing close to 1 billion individual members worldwide. The ICA, now based in Brussels, is comprised of sectoral boards for such sectors as agriculture and mutual insurance, as well as regional boards for four regions – Africa, Americas, Asia and Europe. Its members in Japan include the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives (JA-Zench) and the National Federation of Agricultural Co-operative Associations (JA Zen-Noh).
(May 28, 2014)