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# System prepended metadata

title: 'The Covid Effect #04 | Coops'

---

# The Covid Effect #04 | Coops

## Cooperatives as the rescue for Sri Lankan economy during a global pandemic and beyond


**Recording: https://youtu.be/23BTpaREqy8**
**Email thread: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/thecovideffect/7yjJoGosnW4**
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### Collaborative live notes

Post notes, links and other materials here.















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### Transcripts


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### Further reading and references



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### Chatlog

_NOTE: This is an unedited chatlog from the discussion room. We have only modified styling here._


> **Maheshika**
>
> if you click on the little three dots on the bottom right of the
> screen, and then click on the first on the list, you can change your
> name

20:32

> **Kaushalya**
>
> You can raise your questions and comments in the chat section

20:41

> **Ahilan**
>
> Hence the Ten Hour Bill was not only a great practical success; it was
> the victory of a principle; it was thefirst time that in broad
> daylight the political economy of the middle class succumbed to the political economy of the working class. But there was in store a still
> greater victory for the political economy of labor over the political
> economy of property. We speak of the cooperative movement, especially
> the cooperative factories raised by the unassisted efforts of a few
> bold 'hands'. The value of these great social experiments cannot be
> overrated. -- Karl Marx, Inaugural Address of the Working Men's
> Association (Marx 2010, 79)

20:48

> **Maheshika**
>
> sorry if this was mentioned before. is there any mechanism in North
> co-op\'s to buy the local produce of the farmers at a fixed price?

21:02

> **Upul**
>
> In Kurunegala also there is a famous cooperative hospital operating
> for many decades.

21:03

> **Sarah**
>
> Any concrete ideas to promote co-op\'s in villages ?

21:04

> **Rishvin**
>
> Yes Upul. I guess there\'s one in Galle too.
>
> Yes, the one in Galle is well managed.

21:06

> **Vinura**
>
> How would cooperative shops ensure in this kind of situation that the
> vendors who travel along the streets to sell their produce are not
> negatively affected?

21:07

> **Upul**
>
> One of the important take aways from Ahilan\'s talk is it is essential
> to distinguish the type of cooperatives we are trying to build up from
> the state MPCS. My mother worked for a MPCS for almost 40 years, so I
> grew up closely with MPCS. As I think state MPCS are no longer
> represent the real values of coops

21:10

> **Vinura**
>
> Mr Bulathgama your mike be muted

21:11

> **Maheshika**
>
> true

21:11

> **Upul**
>
> Thank you Ahilan for your insightful thoughts! I particularly admire
> your efforts at the grassroot level to build cooperatives as an
> alternative to current exploitative socio-economic system!

21:13

> **Ahilan**
>
> Vinura\'s question is important. Co-operatives reflect social
> relations, therefore class and caste differences in the society. So
> co-operatives have to be engaged to think about equality and address
> social inequalities.
>
> So for example, many street vendors are indebted and exploited by
> traders who supply them. If co-operatives can provide credit and
> supply goods to street vendors they can be supportive. In my view,
> there is room for street vendors and co-op shops in our rural economy.

21:14

> **Vinura**
>
> do you guys think we should have a copy of this chat so that we can
> have a record of this chat?

21:17

> **Geethika**
>
> Yes,

21:17

> **Maheshika**
>
> 👍

21:18

> Ill take a copy and post on the group

21:18

> **Ahilan**
>
> Maheshika\'s question about co-operatives purchasing at a fixed price:
> The producer co-operatives in the future can consider purchasing at a
> fixed price, for now they can give better prices than the market and
> thus become a price setter.

21:18

> **සංජීව**
>
> ලංකාවේ සමුපකාර ව්‍යාපාරය රාජ්‍යය මූලික කරගනිමින් (නීති පද්ධතිය) පාලනය
> කිරීම සමුපකාර සංවර්ධනයට ගැටළුවක් නේද?

21:18

> **Kaushalya**
>
> Ahilan, will you be able to share a brief note of your speech? Thanks

21:20

> **Vinura**
>
> Is anyone recording what is spoken by everyone?

21:21

> **Maheshika**
>
> thanks Ahilan. Yes. Makes sense. by setting a better price, they can
> capture the market. And if the society is properly formed, the farmers
> can become a part of it and sell their produce to the Co-op - in
> return for the other benefits they receive - subsidised fertility
> prices and loans

21:21

> **Amali**
>
> Translation of Sanjeewa\'s question: Whether co-operative movement
> being regulated by the state is a limitation to the growth and
> development of the co-operative movement?

21:22

> **Ahilan**
>
> All institutions are regulated by the state, including companies, but
> the questions is the level and kind of regulation.
>
> Co-operatives come under the Provincial Councils, and they are mainly
> regulated by the Commissioner of Co-operative Development.
>
> Most co-operatives feel they are over regulated, which undermines
> their autonomy.
>
> \"In the growth of co-operation in Ceylon, Jaffna can justly be proud
> of blazing many a trail. The first Co-operative Central Bank was set
> up in Jaffna: so was the first Co-operative Hospital at Moolai --
> perhaps the first of its kind in the world. The first successful
> Co-operative Marketing Society in Ceylon was the Jaffna -- Malayalam
> Co-operative Sales Society Ltd. The first Co-operative Union for
> Agricultural producers was the one in the Northern Division. The first
> Harbour Services Union and the first District Fisheries Union were
> also later set up in Jaffna. Amongst these numerous 'firsts' an
> outstanding success was the creation of the Northern Division
> Co-operative Federation (the first regional Union) which was
> registered in 1937. It covered the Northern and Eastern Provinces\"
> (Kurukulasuriya, 1971, 78-79).

21:32

> **Vinura**
>
> Fellow Jitster your mike got muted

21:35

> **Amali**
>
> සංජීවගේ ප්‍රශ්නයට අහිලන්ගේ පිළිතුර

සියලුම ආයතන, පුද්ගලික කොම්පැනි පවා, රාජ්‍යය මඟින් පාලනය වෙනවා. ගැටලුව
ඇත්තේ කුමන මට්ටමකින්, කුමන විදිහට වෙන පාලනයක්ද කියන එක.

> සමුපකාර ව්‍යාපාරය පවතින්නේ පළාත් සභා යටතේ. සමුපකාර සංවර්ධනය
> සම්බන්ධයෙන් සිටින කොමිෂනර් හරහා තමයි සමුපකාර මුලික වශයෙන් පාලනය වන්නේ.
> බොහෝ සමුපකාර හිතන්නේ තමන්ව ඕනෑවට වඩා පාලනය වන බවත්, ඒ මඟින් ඔවුන්ගේ
> ස්වාධීනතත්වයට බදා ඇති වන බවයි

21:38

> **Maheshika**
>
> i personally believe that there should be no central body - let alone
> the government - controlling and regulating the co-op system. the
> network is essential, to learn from each other and to support when one
> co-op is in difficulty. but regulation should be formed and
> implemented within the local one.

21:39

> **Amali**
>
> කුරුකුලසූරියගේ පොතෙන් ගත්ත උපුටාගැනීම

21:39

> **Maheshika**
>
> raised my hand by mistake

21:41

> **Upul**
>
> Buddhika through Praba\'s profile I guess? 😃

21:43

> **Geethika**
>
> 😃

21:43

> **Amali**
>
> \@Prabha please edit the question if it is incomplete
>
> Ahilan stated that co-operative movement has to be disbanded from the
> state for its development
>
> If we look at the co-operative movement in South, Southern political
> parties - the left political parties are not with the co-operative
> idea as they are not structurally democratic. And the UNP has
> historically being antagonistic to the idea of co-operatives
>
> And the development of co-operatives in the South is anchored in
> majoritarian nationalist politics
>
> please complete the question, I think I have missed it

21:49

> **Prabha**
>
> Buddika\'s question: the cooperative movement is tied to the state
> more closely in the South. Given the political alienation between the
> Southern state and the Tamils in general, it might be relatively
> easier to move cooperatives to be more independent from the state. But
> in the South this will be more challenging, given the Southern
> stronger racial identification with the state. So, what do you think
> will be the nature of the challenge in the South?
>
> PLease see the comment on political parties written by Amali.
>
> Please see the comment on political parties in the part that Amali
> wrote.

21:51

> **Ahilan**
>
> Sorry I lost connectivity.

21:52

> **Upul**
>
> \@Kaushalya, I think it would be better to remind the speaker how much
> time remains.

21:52

> **Kaushalya**
>
> Sure
>
> But this is the most important part of the speech. We started 10
> minutes later too.

21:53

> **Upul**
>
> no worries

21:54

> **Kaushalya**
>
> Please raise your hands if there are final questions
>
> Are there any questions or comments for Mr. Bulathgama?

22:01

> **සංකල්ප**
>
> With reference to paddy and rice as an example , getting coops beck in
> to action will face profound resistance from the private sector big
> fish. Beyond the limits of a discussion , do we have any solution ?

22:02

> **Upul**
>
> Ahilan, you mentioned that when the size of coops grows, there will be
> problems, particularly deviating from its values. Any idea about an
> optimum size of a coop?
>
> his connection has lost

22:09

> We can continue this discussion on the mailing list
>https://groups.google.com/forum/\#!forum/thecovideffect

22:13

> **Maheshika**
>
> Could we at least aspire the co-ops to be self-organising and
> completely independent from the political parties (left or right)?
> Hence not be affected by the changing governments? Also, could we have
> more education/ self organising mechanisms among communities and use
> local resources to support this? just an open question for Ahilan.
> Know that it is a big area and will be an ongoing discussion. thanks 😃

22:13

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