Regional Reports - the European External Action Service

The Amhara Cooperative Promotion Bureau that was established in 1991 E.C. as per
proclamation no. 40/1991 with three departments and two services has been operational with a
total of 2,851 personnel that are placed from regional to woreda levels. However, in 1994 E.C.,
the Regional Cooperative Bureau along with all other government offices, was reorganized
(proclamation no. 60/1994) with the number of departments reduced to two, the zonal cooperative
structure cancelled and establishment of cooperative desk at Woreda level. Again the cooperative
promotion bureau was reorganized and renamed as Amhara Regional State Cooperative
Promotion Agency (proclamation no. 124/1998).
Some of the major activities carried out by the Agency (formerly by the Bureau) until 1998 E.C.
include the following: provision of different types of agricultural inputs (such as fertilizer, farm
seeds), farm machineries, and insecticides; facilitate conditions for cooperatives to get involved in
marketing of agricultural and animal products; provision of working capital to basic cooperatives
on loan; supporting cooperatives in urban areas engaged in construction of residential houses and
employment generating; market stabilization through purchase of whole sale and distribution and
purchase of agricultural products from surplus producing areas and supplying to deficit areas;
establishment of flour mills and promoting of animal carts that are reducing specially the work
load of women; provision of technical support and professional secondment to lower structures;
organizing and executing various relevant training programs aimed at building the capacity of
professional and management staff of cooperatives; provision of guarantee to banks to allow
cooperatives have access to loan services; attempt to improve the participation of women in
cooperatives and in management which has resulted to increase their participation from 5% in
1995 E.C. to 10% in 1998 E.C.; involved in enhancing the roles of cooperatives in prevention
and control of HIV/AIDS through provision of training programs and supply of condoms. Table
3, below shows the size and makeup of cooperatives in the region
Table 3 Basic Cooperatives in Amhara (up to 1998 Ethiopian fiscal year)
S/N Type of Basic Number of Basic Membership Size
Available
Cooperatives Cooperatives Male Female Total Capital
In Birr
1 Multipurpose 1,546 1,502,071 194,713 1,696,784
2 Milk Production 68 1,925 22 1,947 804,272
3 Incense Production 10 1,164 70 1,234 103,391
4 Irrigation 105 8,039 740 8,779 4,405,247
5 Fishery 2 247 16 263 1,386,893
5 Bee keeping 16 3,670 90 3,760 686,013
6 Livestock fattening 7 346 16 362 199,382
7 Saving & credit 361 18,997 7,082 26,079 22,781,378
8 Housing 319 11,328 4,811 16,139 11,638,787
9 Electric users 3 933 435 1,368 82,472
10 Electr. Installation 4 78 26 104 3,465
11 Consumers 3 342 177 519 89,465
12 Craftsmen 160 30 0 30 3,300
13 Mineral 1 2,089 1,758 3,847 2,997,281
15 Grain and forestry 4 694 102 796 742,923
Total 2,609 1,551,953 210,058 1,762,011 45,924,269
110