Cooperative is a form of organization that serves the interests of its members as well as its environs. A cooperative society can be defined by numerous meanings. Actually, the cooperative society is a centre of its members to make concerted efforts to do relevant businesses meeting the missions.
Depending on the different workplaces and regions, in addition to the nature of national races, cooperative societies have been formed in all parts of the nation. Most of them have been in operation without loss and benefiting their members. As Myanmar is an agro-based country, a larger number of cooperative societies are engaging in agriculture and livestock breeding farms which can directly contribute to food supply for the people.
In successive eras, governments have been striving for the development of cooperative societies at different levels to support the State economy. As such, the State economy could be strengthened. In retrospect, a total of 14 district cooperative societies were formed on 14 February 1952 to establish the Union Wholesale Cooperative Union. Consequently, township and district cooperative syndicates were formed one after another in 1957.
In fact, cooperative societies collect the capacity of their members to implement all projects and businesses to have greater achievements. In this regard, all members must be honest and have the capacity to operate the societies under the rules and regulations without violation of disciplines. Moreover, they have to systematically keep accounts of the societies to check losses and profits. Only when they all are free from corruption and bribery cases will the societies surely accomplish their missions. Currently, cooperative societies concerning agriculture and livestock, fishing, general trading, manufacturing, industries, garment manufacturing, microfinance, credit cooperatives, small-scale industries, public cooperative societies and so on are being operated across the nation. Some of them were defunct, but more and more cooperative societies in different forms have emerged day by day. It shows the success of cooperative businesses for the people without derailing from their missions.
Everybody can observe that the Rochdale cooperative society, which operated businesses with 28 members in England in 1844, has been booming across the world to this day. The concept of cooperation spread worldwide and stimulated the educated and active youths to initiate their own business ways for mother lands and themselves. In fact, those who uphold the concept of doing everything through cooperative efforts to overcome any challenges in operating their businesses will surely secure victory on set days.
