The writer is the chairman of a farmers' cooperative. Combined with some practices and experiences in the establishment and operation of farmers' professional cooperatives, I will communicate with my colleagues on how to run farmers' professional cooperatives well.
First, the basic work should be done well in the registration and establishment stage, which is the premise of the standardized operation of cooperatives.
Farmers' professional cooperatives are independent and mutually supportive economic organizations, a new market economy subject with legal personality and an important part of developing rural economy. We feel that in the early days of the establishment of cooperatives, we can fully respect public opinion in accordance with the Law on Farmers' Professional Cooperatives and relevant policies and regulations, and farmers will spontaneously unite and operate independently, truly embodying the principle of "owned by the people, governed by the people and benefiting the people". To this end, in the stage of registration and establishment of cooperatives, we should focus on three constructions:
(1) organizational structure construction. The fourth chapter of the Farmers' Professional Cooperatives Law clearly stipulates the establishment, authority, responsibility and general meeting of cooperative organizations. The general meeting of members (representatives) is the highest authority of the cooperative, the board of directors is the executive body, and the board of supervisors is the supervisory body. In organizational construction, we should focus on the following four tasks:
The first is to form a hard-working Council. After the establishment of a cooperative, except for the major issues related to the operation and management of the cooperative, which are discussed and passed by the members (representatives) meeting, the general daily work mainly depends on the resolutions and implementation of the board of directors. Therefore, the role of the board of directors in the operation of cooperatives is very critical. Generally, the board of directors and the board of supervisors are elected at the founding meeting of the cooperative. Therefore, when democratically electing members of the board of directors, all kinds of talents should be taken into account, and "capable people" among the members should be elected to the board of directors, especially production and technical talents, brokerage and marketing talents, business planning talents and so on.
The second is to select high-quality directors. The chairman is the leader and core figure of the cooperative. As the chairman, he should not only have a high sense of responsibility and selfless dedication, but also have a strong cohesion and appeal in the cooperative, as well as excellent organizational and coordination skills and oral expression skills. Therefore, when electing the chairman, members should fully understand the ability and level of the chairman candidate. Only when family members choose, the cooperative will develop healthily.
The third is to hire professional accountants. Cooperatives are economic organizations and cannot be separated from financial accounting. Therefore, farmers' professional cooperatives must employ accountants with professional qualifications. In the early days of the establishment of cooperatives, if there is no suitable professional accountant, local village organizations can be hired as accountants, or township financial accounting centers can be entrusted to do accounts.
The fourth is to set up internal institutions reasonably. The internal organization of cooperatives should be set up reasonably according to the actual needs of cooperatives. For some larger cooperatives, offices, financial offices, technical (supply) service departments, marketing departments and other institutions can be established.
(2) Construction of rules and regulations. Rules and regulations are the basic guarantee for the standardized operation and sustainable development of farmers' professional cooperatives, and also a work that must be done before the establishment and registration of cooperatives. Judging from the current situation, the articles of association of many cooperatives are model articles of association copied from industrial and commercial registration or those of other cooperatives. Some basic systems are not sound enough, and the rights and responsibilities are not clear enough. Therefore, in the construction of rules and regulations, we should focus on two aspects:
The first is to formulate a "charter" that meets the actual needs of our society and has strong operability. The articles of association can be said to be the "law" within the cooperative, so it is very necessary to formulate the articles of association. The formulation of the articles of association can refer to the model articles of association of the Ministry of Agriculture, but the original text cannot be copied. Key parts of the articles of association, such as member's contribution, organization establishment, financial management, surplus distribution, dissolution and liquidation, etc. , should be clearly defined. The Articles of Association must be fully brewed, revised repeatedly, discussed and adopted, and finally voted by all the sponsors at the founding meeting, and it will take effect after being signed and sealed.
The second is to formulate the basic system. Such as the financial management system, the responsibilities of the board of directors, the chairman, the board of supervisors and the chairman of the board of supervisors, as well as the purchase and sale system, production technology operating procedures, product quality standards and so on.
(3) Construction of office buildings. The office is the location of the cooperative, the gathering place for the board of directors and the board of supervisors to handle daily affairs, get together and train members, and it is one of the hardware for the initial development of the cooperative. It is best to set up cooperatives in places where members live or produce intensively. If possible, it's best to build it yourself. If it is impossible, you can rent a storefront with convenient transportation. We can also win the support of village cadres and set up the office of the cooperative in the village department. In the construction of office space, neither ostentation nor extravagance can be emphasized, nor can it be too simple. The chairman's office, financial office and business office are essential, and the office space should also be "two pillars and two walls". There are two things: brands and office equipment; The two columns are social affairs disclosure column and financial disclosure column respectively; These two walls are the articles of association and the system posted on the wall.
If the above work is done well, the cooperative can entrust a competent person (mostly the chairman) to register the cooperative. First, apply for registration in the industrial and commercial department, engrave the official seal and the name stamp of the legal representative after obtaining the business license, handle the organization code certificate and tax registration certificate within one month, choose a bank to open a bank account, and finally go to the township (town) government and the county-level agricultural department for the record. In this way, the formalities for farmers' professional cooperatives have been completed.
Two, in the operation stage, we should standardize management, so that cooperatives can develop steadily and healthily.
From its establishment to its official operation, farmers' professional cooperatives should truly embody the requirements and concepts of "production at home, serving the society", "professional production first, professional cooperation later, organizational construction first, independent management, and free advance and retreat", so it is necessary to comprehensively strengthen internal management and promote standardized operation. The key point of these requirements is to fully emphasize the role of "unification" on the basis of household contract management, so that the two-tier management system combining unification and separation can be extended. The board of directors or the manager of the cooperative can selectively focus on the following work in combination with the actual situation of the cooperative:
(a) to provide timely information services for members. In the information age, as a brand-new carrier of modern agricultural construction and development, cooperatives cannot operate without market orientation. Strengthening the collection and transmission of market information is a long-term and important work for cooperatives to realize flexible operation and avoid market risks. The management of cooperatives should respond to product dynamic information, market supply information, consumer demand information, market price information and industrial policy information in a timely manner and convey them to their members.
(2) Organize farmers to learn scientific and technological knowledge. Cooperatives should not only greatly increase the output and income of cooperative members, but also drive local farmers to increase their income and become rich. Science and technology are productive forces. Therefore, improving the scientific and technological content of the industry, improving the production technology level of cooperative members and cultivating new farmers should be included in the important agenda of the cooperative. It can be said that the training content to be carried out by cooperatives is very extensive. The first thing to do is to train the relevant theoretical knowledge of cooperatives, so that the concept of cooperatives is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
(three) actively carry out technical guidance. In the course of operation, cooperatives should, according to the degree of specialization and industrial characteristics of their production and operation, extensively contact the relevant scientific and technological departments, strengthen horizontal contact, and make use of the technological advantages of the scientific and technological departments to solve the difficulties encountered by their members in production and operation. Conditional cooperatives can employ technical consultants, financial consultants, legal consultants and policy consultants from relevant departments in light of their own reality.
(4) Unified supply of agricultural means of production. Members of cooperatives enjoy all kinds of services provided by cooperatives, and purchase and distribute pesticides, agricultural films, fertilizers and fine varieties for cooperative members, which is the true embodiment of the series of services of cooperatives before, during and after production. By purchasing and distributing agricultural materials in a unified way, not only can the production cost of members be reduced, but also the economic losses caused by fake and shoddy agricultural materials can be avoided.
(5) Formulating unified quality standards for agricultural products. The technical standards and product quality standards of agricultural production are directly related to the quality and safety of agricultural products, not only involving the use efficiency and market price of products, but also directly affecting the sales of goods and the reputation of products. Cooperatives should actively seek the opinions of relevant government departments when formulating production technical standards, product quality standards and specific operating procedures to make the standards and procedures more practical and authoritative.
(six) do a good job in the characteristic packaging design of cooperative agricultural products. Product packaging is an extension of product production. Using the characteristic packaging of products can not only ensure the quality, but also expand the market and raise the price. In the current increasingly fierce market competition, it is difficult for manufacturers to increase their market share if they do not change the traditional business model. Only by ensuring the quality of products and constantly changing the packaging mode to meet the psychological needs and consumption needs of consumers can we win more market share and beat our competitors.
(seven) members of the agricultural products to implement unified sales. In order to realize the second return of cooperative profits, maximize product value and increase farmers' income, products produced by cooperative members should be collected by cooperative organizations within the scope of articles of association, and primary products should be classified, screened, packaged and put on the market. Some products can also be put on the market after deep processing, which is conducive to improving the added value of agricultural and sideline products, solving the problem of products being sold from one company to another, and better embodying the real value of establishing farmers' professional cooperatives.
(eight) registered to declare well-known brands. Farmers' professional cooperatives should have their own brands. With the optimization and upgrading of cooperative products and the promotion of popularity, we will actively do a good job in the declaration of pollution-free agricultural products, green food, organic food, well-known trademarks and well-known trademarks, and sublimate them by showing their own advantages and building their own brands.
(nine) financial accounting should be standardized and regularly disclosed to members. As a mutual economic organization, farmers' professional cooperatives are inseparable from financial accounting in every economic activity. Standardizing the financial management of cooperatives is the basic work to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the majority of cooperative members. A cooperative shall set up three accounts in accordance with the Financial Accounting System of Farmers' Specialized Cooperatives formulated by the Ministry of Finance: cooperative general ledger, subsidiary ledger and member accounts. It is necessary to strictly examine and approve vouchers, give full play to the functions of the board of supervisors, and regularly inform members of the financial situation to realize democratic financial management.
(ten) the year-end final accounts to implement profit return. The ultimate goal of cooperative development is to realize the second return of profits. Cooperatives must, in accordance with the provisions of the Farmers' Professional Cooperatives Law and the Articles of Association, carefully formulate the year-end income distribution plan, make annual financial statements, hold a general meeting or a representative meeting of members, and publicly distribute the results through the distribution plan, so as to make the year-end income distribution and the second return of profits more open and transparent.
Third, in the improvement stage, we should base ourselves on the long-term and seek development in depth.
After two or three years of operation, the cooperative has gradually developed various businesses and is faced with the problem of how to further develop. A vital farmers' professional cooperative, especially the leader of the cooperative, should have a short-term work plan and a long-term development goal in concrete work practice. Judging from the current development trend of farmers' professional cooperatives and the operation status of farmers' professional cooperatives in economically developed areas in China, drawing on the development experience of international agricultural cooperatives, it is an inevitable trend for farmers' professional cooperatives to become bigger and stronger from the establishment of quantitative cooperatives to the operation of quality cooperatives, from vertical farmers' professional cooperation to horizontal cooperation among cooperatives. After laying a solid foundation and standardizing operation, cooperatives should focus on Excellence, plan development at a deep level, and seek greater development between the lines.
(A) based on the current long-term planning, find the right coordinates and clear direction for the sustainable development of cooperatives. The work plan of a cooperative, especially the economic development plan, is very important for an economic organization. When making the annual work plan and long-term development goals, we should adhere to the scientific planning of seeking truth from facts according to the operating advantages and production characteristics of the cooperative, and build the cooperative into a platform for everyone to be equal and give full play to the wisdom of the members based on increasing the income of the members, and then set a target value as the direction of unremitting efforts of all members of the cooperative. Under normal circumstances, the annual production and operation plan shall be collectively studied by the board of directors before the end of the year, and a work plan shall be put forward, which shall be implemented after being adopted by all members' general meetings or members' representative meetings. On the basis of feasibility study and demonstration, the long-term development plan should be put forward by the enlarged meeting of the board of directors, submitted to the general meeting of members for discussion, formed a resolution, and then implemented step by step.
(2) Enhance the grade and strength, take the road of intensive processing of agricultural products, and maximize the benefits. The development of agricultural and sideline products processing industry by cooperatives can improve the economic benefits of cooperatives and enhance market competitiveness. This is because: first, after intensive processing, agricultural and sideline products not only remove more impurities and a lot of water, but also are more convenient for packaging and transportation, and their storage time will be longer, which can effectively avoid short-term market fluctuations and adapt to the adjustment of market demand for agricultural and sideline products; Second, with the accelerating pace of people's life and the change of consumption concept, consumers put forward higher and new requirements for agricultural products, such as pollution-free agricultural products, green food, organic food and so on. These are inseparable from the deep processing and product development of agricultural products, and such foods are more favored by people; Third, the intensive processing of agricultural and sideline products can effectively improve the grade and quality of agricultural products. Once the processed products enter the circulation field, it is easy to find suitable markets and consumer groups, and the added value of their products will also increase.
(3) Develop horizontal cooperation on the basis of vertical cooperation, and make the cooperative cause bigger and stronger. At present, farmers' professional cooperatives are still in their infancy. In order to make cooperatives bigger and stronger in the process of sound and rapid development, the first step is to further increase the publicity of the law on farmers' professional cooperatives, effectively expand the publicity and popularization of the law, let farmers know the connotation and essence of the law, and let farmers voluntarily move toward cooperation. Secondly, encourage registered cooperatives to break geographical restrictions, open their doors, attract qualified farmers to abide by the articles of association of cooperatives, expand the scale of cooperatives, and guide farmers to actively and consciously invest in cooperatives to form a joint force. The third is to guide small and medium-sized cooperatives to make horizontal alliances, or to unite with the same trade cooperative again to form a cooperative or industrial corporation, to re-integrate resources, expand scale, enhance strength, enhance market competitiveness and raise visibility. The 14th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 11th People's Congress of Liaoning Province adopted the Measures for the Implementation of Liaoning Province, which shall come into force on March 65438, 20 1 year. The "Measures" stipulate that "farmers' professional cooperatives are encouraged to cooperate in various fields and ways, and farmers' professional cooperative associations or head offices are established". All localities can do some useful attempts and explorations. Fourth, the organization network of farmers' professional cooperatives at all levels should be established, and the county-level farmers' professional cooperative associations should be established to help cooperatives to carry out rights protection and services, reflect the situation and problems in the development of farmers' professional cooperatives to the government, and assist relevant government departments to guide the development of cooperatives.
In a word, as long as farmers' professional cooperatives do a good job in the three stages of formation, operation and improvement, and achieve standardized operation and scientific management, they will certainly be able to expand and strengthen the cooperative cause, emerge more farmers' professional cooperatives with good industrial base, strong market competitiveness and wide radiation-driven scope, and promote the sound and rapid development of agricultural industrialization in various places.