By Modnath Dhakal
Kathmandu, Oct. 8: The National Cooperative Board (NCB) has prepared a 25-year Strategic Plan (2020/21 – 2045/46) for the sector with the aim of including 90 per cent households in cooperatives in either way.
The plan, submitted to the Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Padma Kumari Aryal on Wednesday, includes projections to increase per cooperative members to 933 in the next 20 years from the current 175. Likewise, the total members of cooperatives would reach 14 million from current 6.6 million, as per the number of accounts maintained.
The strategy will have five key pillars for development, including entrepreneurship development and employment, inter-cooperative as well coop-non-government, private sector and community partnership and network, awareness building, and good cooperatives practice, good governance and regulation.
The strategy aims at increasing the contribution of the cooperative sectors to the economy from current about 3 per cent to 15 per cent in the next 25 years. The projection was made after considering the contribution of cooperatives to the world economy, the 15th plan of Nepal, Long-Term Vision and suggestions from the stakeholders. Likewise, it aims at increasing participation of economically active population as well. Currently, participation of above people aged over 15years in cooperatives is 31 per cent and the strategy aims to take it to 75 per cent. Another important strategy is to reduce the number of cooperatives to about 15,000 which is less than the half of the existing number.
Accepting the draft of the strategy, Minister Aryal said that the strategic document was prepared for the expansion of cooperative movement, its development and strengthening. "It is prepared after thorough study and analysis of international practice and national situation. It gives us a clear vision for the development of the sector," she said.
The constitution of Nepal mentions the cooperative as a pillar of the national economy along with the government and private sector.
"We have enough cooperatives in the country and a good amount of money. Now the need is to mobilise the capital to entrepreneurship development. The cooperatives must contribute to employment generation," said the Minister.
According to her, the issue of governance in cooperatives is being raised for quite a time so the government has prioritised good governance and implementation of the laws to make the cooperatives better. The laws that obstruct the cooperatives to contribute to the entrepreneurship and business would be amended.
Co-chair of the board Daksha Poudel said that there was a need to make the cooperative sector technology-friendly.