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

Research Report: Addressing the Needs, Opportunities and Challenges of Cooperatives
and Collectively Owned Enterprises in the Poultry and Related Industries
demand, cooperatives do not find sufficient customers for their live broilers. One large producer
stated that increased diversity of product offering would enable them to make use of developing
farmers. It is thus recommended that SEDA assess different forms of diversification amongst
developing farmers. This could include the growth of organic chicken, organic eggs, quail,
pheasant, etc. This would enable developing farmers to produce a niche product and supply to
that.
5.2.4.
Enhancing Information and Communication
Many of the cooperatives surveyed had heard of the various government support systems through
word of mouth. This indicates fairly good, but informal information dissemination in the
communities. Furthermore, many cooperatives reported their desire to receive assistance, but being
unsure how to attain it. A large number of cooperatives also reported that they were ‘waiting’ to
receive assistance, with little communication from the support agencies on progress and success of
the applications. This illustrates potential to improve information provision and communication
methods.
The following is recommended to assist with these concerns:
Clear communication and expectation setting by SEDA:
o
o
Marketing of support and services: To improve the information received by
cooperatives and potential cooperative members it is accurate and properly
representative of the support offered by SEDA, it may be beneficial to enhance the
marketing of support and services. This will encourage less word-of-mouth information
dissemination as primary sources of information from SEDA will be directly provided by
SEDA itself.
Expectation management: In order to properly manage expectations, cooperatives
must be made fully aware of the type assistance SEDA can offer; the criteria used to
evaluate applications for assistance; and the time frames in which they can expect to
receive assistance or receive feedback if they are awaiting information on assistance.
Strong lines of feedback should be provided regarding assistance. This can include
feedback on financial or support applications. Additionally, verbal transfer of
information may lead to inconsistent information. This emphasises the importance of
expectation setting. Contact details for SEDA should be provided so that cooperatives
have a means of checking up on their applications. A number to which a ‘please call me’
can be sent would make this easier for cooperatives. The scheduling of evaluation and
monitoring sessions in advance would enable the cooperative to gain a better
understanding of when they will next be receiving feedback on their progress.
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