Assessment of Cooperatives in the Poultry Industry - 2013.pdf - Seda

Number of cooperatives
Research Report: Addressing the Needs, Opportunities and Challenges of Cooperatives
and Collectively Owned Enterprises in the Poultry and Related Industries
The survey results are presented below and identify key challenges and opportunities faced by
cooperatives. The assessment identifies the concerns as perceived by cooperatives and touches on
additional literature in order to present a holistic analysis.
4.1.2.1. Background and Business Start-up
The background of the various cooperatives creates a well-rounded picture of the present situation
and enables an understanding of how these cooperatives have come to be in their present position.
Additionally, a breakdown of the types of businesses which the cooperatives run is illustrative of
where in the value chain the majority operate.
The length of time that a cooperative has been operational is one of the key indicators of whether or
not the business has been sustainable. While young cooperatives are not necessarily unsuccessful, it
is useful to understand the challenges facing cooperatives who have been operating for a longer
period of time, as these cooperatives have a greater amount of experience and further
understanding of the challenges faced over time.
The cooperatives surveyed in the study began operating anywhere from 15 years ago to as recently
as 2012. The graph below illustrates the year the business became operational.
Figure 4-1: Year cooperatives became operational
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1998 2000 2002 2004 2005 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 (blank)
Source: Urban-Econ Survey, 2013
Figure 4-1 demonstrates that a fairly even sample was taken where age is considered. The survey
results are thus representative of cooperatives who have a wide range of experience. It should be
noted that the low number of recent start-ups is a feature of the database used and should not be
interpreted as an indicator of the success of cooperatives over time.
In comparison to the results of the survey, Figure 4-2 illustrates the number of poultry cooperatives
registered with the CIPC. From the figure it is evident that there are a significant number of active
cooperatives who have registered in recent years. Notably, up to 2,815 cooperatives were
registered in 2012.
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