Cooperatives Serve Three Billion People Worldwide

Jakarta, May 13 (Antara) - The European Research Institute on Cooperatives and Social Enterprises (Euricse) has reported that cooperatives around the world with 800 millions to one billion members have served three billion people. "The membership of cooperatives all over the world has reached 800 million to one billion people, and they serve three billion people worldwide," said Euricse`s Representative Gianluca Salvatori during International Workshop on Cooperatives in Indonesia, here on Monday. Euricse has recorded that there are about 53,000 credit cooperatives and union credit cooperative around the world. In Europe, the farming cooperatives` market share reached 60 percent in farm products processing and marketing sectors. "In 2008, almost 80 thousands cooperatives and 1.5 million people worked in the farming cooperatives and contributed to 10 percent of GDP," he said. Salvatori added the roles of cooperatives were more visible during the European finance and economy crisis. "Cooperatives survive better than other business types," he said. But, according to Salvatori, the cooperatives are facing some barriers, like false interpretation of the cooperatives` meaning, restrictive legislation, ineffective management, and minimal information. "However, cooperatives are still presumed as a marginal sector, under-capitalized, inefficient, and can not be developed," he said. "Thus, we have to educate people to be more aware of and notice the cooperatives` benefits in the economic sector," added Salvatori.