ICA/COOPFED Workshop on Development of Consumer Cooperatives 3rd December 2014

                                        Participants at the workshop

 

 

ICA/COOPFED Workshop on Development of Consumer Cooperatives was held on 3rd December 2014 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.  Sri Lanka Consumer Cooperative Societies Federation Limited (COOPFED) hosted this Workshop, which was attended by 115 delegates from consumer cooperative societies in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Malaysia and  Japan.  The objectives of the Workshop was to promote understanding of co-operative principles, to strengthen management of consumer cooperative societies and to understand the present status and problem areas of consumer cooperatives, and also the events in this year had the theme of “ Chain Store Management” . The Committee sets the target region of the Workshop to SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries, focusing on the development of consumer co-operatives in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The inauguration ceremony started with a welcome speech by T.M. Ruwan Bandara Tennakoon, Chairman of COOPFED followed by an opening remark given by Mr. Amano Haruyoshi, Chairman of the ICA Committee on Consumer Cooperation for Asia and the Pacific. Mr D.S.K. Pathirana, CEO of COOPFED and Vice Chairman of the ICA Committee on Consumer Cooperation for Asia and the Pacific also Regional Director of ICA Asia and Pacific also gave special greetings. Four reports were presented during the workshop, namely; The Outline of Cooperative Law in Sri Lanka, Overview of NTUC Fairprice and Training & Development at NTUC Fairprice, The Basic Knowledge of Chain Store Theory and Points of How to make a Good Store, The Outline of Consumer cooperative.  

On the Next day, participants has visited to Beralapanathara Multi-purpose cooperative society.  This Co-op is located in mountainous region of Urubokka5 hours drive from Colombo to South East.  It holds the over 34,000 membership.  That is to say, over the 60 percent of population of its area are member of this Co-op. The business of Co-op includes Credit, Tea Farm, rice, transportation, retailing, funeral services, construction and health services. The Co-op contributes to the local society providing social activity, such as health and life management services, health check for pregnant woman, kids activities and the funeral services for people having neither kiths nor kins. The Beralapanathara MUulti Purpose has been awarded the Best Co-operative in Sri Lanka for 5 years.

 

Thanks to COOPFED and Beralapanathara Multi-pupose cooperative society, participants got  good opportunity to learn the active cooperative movement in Sri Lanka in more depth.