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Agrarian cooperatives in Egypt

About 55% of the Egyptian population lives under the union of agrarian cooperatives. The administrative board of this union consists of 112 members who represent 14 specific central associations, 22 agrarian trust associations, 18 reform associations and 11 land reclamation associations. There are 5856 agrarian cooperative associations that work on the level of villages, 222 associations that work on the level of towns, 124 associations that work on the level of governorates and 15 associations that work on the level of the Egyptian Republic.
During the past ten years, problems of agrarian cooperatives have increased. There weren't any information about this sector, its roles or capacities. Its financial and human resources have weakened. Authorities have totally neglected this sector, which made very difficult to improve it under the current economic, social and political atmosphere. The implementation of the trade and market liberalization policies in the agricultural sector has transferred the decision making process in this matter to businessmen and big owners, as the authorities have facilitated all procedures for them, exempted them from paying their taxes and debts and supported them in every possible way. While at the same time, these authorities have neglected supporting the agrarian sector and small farmers and deprived them from organizing themselves and establishing independent associations that can defend their rights and interests.
The problems of the cooperative movement need big efforts and a political will to rise with this sector by implementing the following recommendations:
Supporting farmers' struggle, guarantee their participation in the decision making process, stop wasting the agrarian wealth and return the money seized by the bank for development and agrarian trust. Create a new cooperative generation by demanding the agrarian cooperative institutes to ad a field subject for the forth grade, so that students could raise farmers' awareness about cooperatives and how to establish them. Call for the establishment of an independent general union for farmers that works as a syndicate organization that represents more than 5 million farmers and their families, able to protect their rights and negotiate their interests. Train farmers and their leaders and raise their awareness about the concepts and laws that organize agrarian cooperatives, so that their associations are able to adapt to the emerging political changes and follow up the local and international developments in this field, and also able to make decisions and change legislations for the favor of the farmers and their rights. Cancel farmers' debts just like what the government did with businessmen. Make use of other successful experiences, like those in India and Germany. Stop the attempts to turn Egyptian cooperatives into trade companies to prevent the monopoly of some groups over capital and decision making. Make the amendments made on the agrarian cooperative law available for the public's review and explaining how these amendments will support and protect the cooperative movement and agriculture in Egypt. Establish a fund to compensate farmers for their losses resulting from any natural disasters or the market price changes, subsidize the agrarian production and its requirements and protect the local market from any monopoly attempts. Stop the agrarian cooperative union and the Ministry of Agriculture from interfering in the work of agrarian cooperatives and leave their management to their administrative boards.