Agriculture, Good for Business, Latvia, Markets and Companies

Agricultural cooperatives continued to raise turnover last year, confirming their efficiency in the regions where cooperatives are the most effective form of cooperation for small and medium-sized farms, said the Agricultural Cooperatives Association's Executive Director Linda Uzkalne.

According to Uzkalne, agricultural cooperatives' turnover increased across all sectors last year - dairy, grain, fruit, vegetable, as well as meat, home production and forest cooperatives. The largest increase was observed in the grain sector, where the cooperatives' turnover amounted to EUR 346.76 million.

"The main benefits of joining a cooperative society include a secured sales market, opportunity to sell products at higher prices and buy everything what is necessary for farming at significantly lower prices. I am really pleased that farmers' understanding of the importance of cooperation in Latvia is increasing," Uzkalne said.

At the moment, the Agricultural Cooperatives Association has 51 members.