AGRICULTURAL COOPERATION: EXPERIENCE OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES FOR UKRAINE

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the experience of agricultural cooperation in foreign countries, such as Sweden, Norway, Finland, Japan and apply it in Ukraine. The defining feature is that the existing agricultural cooperation in Ukraine is not backed up by proper legislation to integrate with the European countries. Analyzing the state of agricultural cooperation in Ukraine in comparison with foreign countries, the country remains a number of unresolved issues regarding its normal functioning, namely: the activation of international economic cooperation of Ukraine involving the development of a strategy for the effective functioning of agricultural cooperation, which is the basis for ensuring the various areas of rural development employment of rural population. In addition, agricultural cooperation stimulates the development of agrarian market infrastructure, plays an exceptional role in strengthening the economic potential, competitiveness and social status of agricultural producers, improving economic conditions and creating incentives for the growth of commodity products. However, so far its development is at a low level, the main reasons being the underestimation in the process of economic reforms of cooperative forms of economic activity, general unfavorable conditions for agricultural production, psychological unwillingness of peasants to cooperate and insufficient knowledge of the rural population about the benefits of cooperation, weak state support for small businesses in agribusiness and agricultural cooperatives. Methods. The countries of the West in every way stimulate the development of cooperation: by appropriate laws, privileges, subsidies. Ukraine needs to take the example from these countries in order to develop the cooperative movement, which will stimulate rural development. Results. Ukraine is trying to build on the experience of different countries in the field of agricultural cooperation, backing up on the best of the countries studied. Practical implications. Studies have shown that world experience convinces that cooperation has contributed to the development of many countries in the world. In Europe, for example, cooperatives are an important part of economic life and industry. Value/originality. Analyzing the activities of agricultural cooperatives operating in the world, we point out that the main advantage of combining agricultural producers in cooperatives is a grower group (union or cooperative) is considered as the only powerful organization that is able to buy large volumes of products and services and realize large volumes of production.