Around 100 people recently gathered at the Business Support Centre in the Ukrainian city of Kropyvnytskyi to discuss the importance of farming cooperatives and the development of private enterprise in agriculture, at a conference organised by EU4Business initiative with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Ukraine.
The one-day scientific and practical conference on the ‘Economic effect and social significance of farmers' associations’ took place on 22 September 2017. It attracted around 100 representatives of the regional state administration, landlords, owners and managers of small and medium-sized agricultural companies from the region, as well as scientists and students from prominent local higher educational institutions.
The discussion format of the event allowed participants to assess the state and prospects for the development of farms and private enterprises in the region, to identify effective tools for stimulating the development of the cooperative movement, and ways to improve logistics, quality and technology for the effective functioning and development of farmers' associations.
In addition, participants were able to familiarise themselves with and exchange experiences of best practices on the implementation of cooperative projects in Ukraine and in the world, as well as to receive practical recommendations and experience from recognised experts and successful managers.
The issues at stake are of growing urgency in Ukraine due to the increasing role of SMEs in the Ukrainian economy, most of which are in the agrarian sector. The development of farms and private businesses, as well as the implementation of cooperative projects, requires a new conceptual approach to their creation, development and financing.
The Business Support Centre in Kropyvnytskyi is part of the EU4Business Network of Business Support Centres, which aims to improve the competitiveness and bankability of Ukrainian SMEs through the provision of business advice and capacity building. It supports BSOs in 15 regions of Ukraine in setting up a network of EU4Business Business Support Centres (BSCs). At least 30,000 SMEs and entrepreneurs will benefit from the project.
