دور التعاونيات الزراعية في تحقيق التنمية المستدامة في مصر : (دراسة حالة محافظة الشرقية)‎

الملخص EN

The agricultural sector faces many economic and social problems that impede the agricultural development movement in Egypt.

Despite the efforts made by the state in confronting many of these problems, reforming agricultural cooperatives, activating their role and expanding their areas of activities can contribute positively and effectively to solving many of the problems of agriculture in Egypt, foremost of which is the study problem related to farmers’ debts, and the shortage of fertilizers The agricultural cycle, and the pricing of agricultural crops, which require the necessity of confronting and overcoming them.

The problem of the study is that despite the multiplicity of governmental institutions and bodies affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture, which are considered the locomotive of development for the agricultural sector in Egypt, especially agricultural cooperative societies, which amounted to about 5.8 thousand associations in Egypt in 2018 (1), they were unable to fulfill the role assigned to them in Serving the agricultural sector and advancing it in line with the requirements of agricultural development in Egypt, especially those related to the productive and marketing aspects of agricultural production in Egypt.

The study aims to shed light on the role of the agricultural cooperative sector in Sharkia Governorate through the views of all those interested in the agricultural sector at its various levels, identifying the strengths to activate and activate its role to advance the level of the agricultural sector, identifying weaknesses that lead to discourage and limiting its role, suggestions and means to give it A strong push to activate its role, activating the opportunities points represented by the internal factors and discouraging the threats points represented by the external factors.

Results: First, the Objectives of the SO strategy for the agricultural cooperatives sector in the Sharkia Governorate 1- Existence of an accurate inventory of holdings, the introduction of the electronic tenure system and its gradual replacement as an alternative to paper holding (farmer card), in addition to the prior announcement at the beginning of each season of the prices of supplies (fertilizers and seeds), which will facilitate and ensure transparency of procedures for distributing and disbursing agricultural supplies to farmers.

2- Benefiting from the articles of Law No.

122 of 1980, which provides for the exemption of cooperatives from operating fees for irrigation machines, as well as the exemption from customs taxes on tractors and agricultural machinery, which will ensure efficient and competitive use of technology in order to confront the fragmentation of land.

3- Benefiting from the articles of Law No.

122 of 1980, which provides for the exemption of cooperatives from taxes on supplies related to livestock and poultry projects, which supports the diversity of activities that agricultural associations can carry out and not limit their role to the disbursement of supplies only.

4- Controlling the markets for agricultural production requirements, especially the fertilizer market, through laws protecting competition and preventing monopolistic practices in the private sector, and linking associations with the local market, which will ensure transparency and balance between the cooperative and private markets.

Second: Objectives of the strategy of weakness and opportunities WO for the agricultural cooperatives sector in Sharkia Governorate 1- Creating training programs for the managers of agricultural associations in marketing and planning through cooperative training programs will raise the efficiency of the boards of directors, which will positively reflect on the accumulation of technical and scientific expertise in these boards and thus raise the efficiency of the agricultural associations 2- Appointing new employees in cooperatives, as the number of job cadres is few.

3- Diversity of activities that agricultural associations can carry out, such as agricultural associations playing an active role in marketing crops through the work of complexes, which will lead to farmers achieving maximum profit, or agricultural associations making maximum use of agricultural residues to ensure that the environment is not polluted, and profits are made.

For farmers, educators, or selling outlets for pesticides in each agricultural association to ensure that traders do not monopolize pesticides, and the agricultural engineer can have a profit margin in that activity, and all of these activities for the association will lead to an increase in its profits and thus increase its financial resources.

4- Providing suitable and appropriate storage spaces at the level of the whole chain, starting with (local associations, then joint associations, then central associations at the governorate level, then the general assembly in Cairo), which will ensure the availability of supplies in all agricultural seasons.

Third: Formulating the objectives of the strategy of strength and threats ST for the agricultural cooperatives sector in Sharkia Governorate 1- Optimizing and making full use of the articles of Law 122 of 1980, and the new amendments to activate the role of cooperatives and integrate them into the activity of the agricultural economy in line with market changes.

2- Exploitation of the advantages provided for agricultural requirements by cooperatives, represented in knowing prices in advance at the beginning of each season, the quality of the product, and the competitiveness of its price from the private sector - taking advantage of these advantages - and strengthening them to prevent traders from exploiting farmers.

Fourth: Formulating the objectives of the strategy of weakness and threats WT for the agricultural cooperatives sector in Sharkia Governorate 1- Activating the role of agricultural extension within agricultural cooperatives to increase farmers’ awareness of the appropriate fertilization dates and quantities for each crop.

2- Increasing the efficiency of the operating lines in the factories belonging to the companies supplying agricultural cooperation to ensure that the production lines are not disrupted or stopped, and thus their availability before the date of planting 3- That the fertilizer regulations and decisions be scientifically updated every period according to the changes occurring in the agricultural soil.

4- Reconsidering Law 122 of 1980 and introducing appropriate legislations for the current Egyptian agricultural environment and current market changes.

The important recommendations 1- Strengthening strengths and exploiting opportunities 2- Increasing the role of agricultural extension in raising the awareness of farmers 3- Raising the efficiency of the agricultural associations’ boards of directors, and transforming them into socio-economic organizations capable of providing supplies and marketing crops.

4- Benefiting from Law 122 of 1980 and its legislative amendments in Law 124 of 2014, including allowing the establishment of joint projects with the private sector.

6- Giving wider powers to the cooperative union to take decisions