Soeharto inaugurates cooperative diary farm

Soeharto inaugurates cooperative diary farm

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto inaugurated yesterday a
cooperative dairy farm in Bogor, some 50 kilometers south of
here.

He said the dairy farm complex would make it easier to
monitor the quality of local farmers' dairy products because the
farmers had been scattered over 21 sub-districts. All their cows
are now at the complex.

"We hope the construction of this dairy complex will improve
the efficiency of dairy production and also the incomes of the
cooperative's members," Soeharto said.

He stressed that the government had not been neglectful in
developing agriculture in the face of industrialization.

"Developing the agricultural sector is the key to improving
the people's welfare. Therefore, we must continue to develop
agriculture besides industry," the President said.

A cooperative was the most appropriate institution to help
farmers improve their welfare because production would be done by
all members for the interests of all members under the ownership
of all members.

But Soeharto acknowledged that it was not easy to develop
cooperatives. It was evident that cooperatives did not have an
important role in society, compared to private or state
enterprises.

Cooperatives had not been prepared to compete with state
enterprises and private entities because they lacked capital,
technology and managerial skills, he said.

The government would continue to develop cooperatives so that
they would grow to become independent economic institutions and
increase their roles in the national economy.

"Strengthening cooperatives is our constitutional duty as we
believe that through cooperatives we can achieve people's welfare
and social justice for all Indonesians," the President said.
(rid)