Cooperatives are groups of individuals who come together to assist one another by pooling their financial resources together with contributions at regular intervals. The organization (the cooperative) is owned by the members and is not a for-profit enterprise.

Agricultural cooperatives are small organizations that work to better the lives of farmers. Agro Cooperatives are made up of farmers of different kinds, and they contribute monies together to help members with whatever they may need on their farms. Some Agro Cooperatives may receive as members farmers of all kinds, while other cooperatives may only take farmers of certain kinds (like fish farmers, cattle ranchers, poultry farmers, and so on.)

List Of Agricultural Cooperatives In South Africa
List Of Agricultural Cooperatives In South Africa

A major facet of a cooperative is the togetherness it fosters. Cooperatives also teach best practices in their fields to their members, and even inform them about opportunities that may arise, and how to take advantage of government policies that may come up. For this reason, therefore, some cooperatives may not be satisfied with financial contributions from members. They may impose fines on members who do not attend meetings. Now let us go straight to the list of Cooperatives in South Africa.

List Of Agricultural Cooperatives In South Africa

  • Central Timber Co-operative Ltd.,
    • Mailing/Postal Address:  P O Box 495, Pietermaritzburg 3200.
    • Tel (0331) 451 388
  • East Cape Agricultural Co-op. Ltd.,
    • Mailing/Postal Address: P O Box 331, Queenstown 5320.
    • Tel (045) 839 5241.
    • Fax: 045-8384394
  • Fraserburgse Koöperatiewe Vleisprodusente Bpk.,
    • Mailing/Postal Address: P O Box 32, Fraserburg 6960.
    • Tel (023) 741 1004. Fax: 023-7411253
  • Karoo Oranje Landboukoöperasie Bpk.,
    • Mailing/Postal Address: P O Box 24, Hopetown 8750.
    • Tel (053) 203 0501.
    • Fax: 053-2030295
  • Ladismith-Landboukoöperasie Bpk.,
    • Mailing/Postal Address:  P O Box 55, Ladismith 6655.
    • Tel (028) 551 1042. Fax: 028-5511930
  • Namakwalandse Landboukoöperasie Bpk.,
    • Mailing/Postal Address: P O Box 46, Vredendal 8160.
    • Tel (0271) 33030/9.
    • Fax: 0271-32921
  • Nasionale Aartappelkoöperasie Bpk.,
    • Mailing/Postal Address:  P O Box 516, Bethal 2310.
    • Tel (01764) 76375
  • Natalse Landboukoöperasie Bpk.,
    • Mailing/Postal Address: P O Box 145, Dundee 3000.
    • Tel (0341) 25171.
    • Fax: 0341-81096
  • National Co-operative Dairies Ltd.,
    • Mailing/Postal Address:  P O Box 6161, Weltevreden Park 1715.
    • Tel (011) 470 8600.
    • Fax: 011-4751515
  • Oranje Koöperasie Bpk.,
    • Mailing/Postal Address: P O Box 48, Upington 8800.
    • Tel (054) 332 3811
  • Oranjerivierwynkelders (Koöperatief) Bpk.,
    • Mailing/Postal Address: P O Box 544, Upington 8800.
    • Tel (054) 331 2186.
    • Fax: 054-25408
  • Taurus Veeverbeteringskoöperasie Bpk.,
    • Mailing/Postal Address: P/Bag X5, Irene 0062.
    • Tel (012) 667 1122.
    • Fax: 012-6671827
  • Wes Karoo Koöperasie Bpk.,
    • Mailing/Postal Address: P O Box 74, Calvinia 8190.
    • Tel (0273) 411 070.
    • Fax: 0273-412724.
  • T W K Landbou Bpk
    • Physical Address: 89 Stuart St, Amsterdam, 2375, South Africa, Mpumalanga.
  • East Free State Cape Co-op
    • Physical Address: 23 Murray St, Lady Grey, 9755, South Africa, Eastern Cape.
    • Cooperative Website: www.ovk.co.za
  • K L K
    • Physical Address: Hoof St, Danielskuil, 8405, South Africa, Northern Cape.
  • Kaap Agri
    • Physical Address: Station Rd, Lutzville, 8165, South Africa, Northern Cape.
  • East Cape Agricultural Co-op Ltd
    • Physical Address: Robinson Rd, Cathcart, 5310, South Africa, Eastern Cape.
  • E D L U (tlu)
    • Physical Address: 14 Church St, Ermelo, 2351, South Africa, Mpumalanga.
    • Cooperative Website:  www.tlu.co.za
  • Kaap-agri
    • Physical Address: Church St, Van Rhynsdorp, 8170, South Africa, Northern Cape.
    • Cooperative Website: www.kaapagri.co.za
  • Chamo Marketing Enterprises
    • Physical Address: 2 Second St, Eastern Extension, George, 6529, South Africa, Western Cape.
  • Tuinroete Agri-herold
    • Physical Address: Herold, George, 6615, South Africa, Western Cape.
  • Kaap-Augrabies
    • Physical Address: Plot 1190, Augrabies, 8874, South Africa, Northern Cape.
  • G W K Ltd
    • Physical Address: Industria Rd, Barkly West, 8375, South Africa, Northern Cape.
    • Cooperative Website: www.gwk.co.za
  • K L K
    • Physical Address: Augrabies Rd, Kakamas, 8870, South Africa, Northern Cape.
  • Phahamisang Nursery Manufacture for farming Services Agricultural cooperative
    • Physical Address: 268 Boroa location, Bloemfontein.
  • East Cape Agricultural Co-op Ltd
    • Physical Address: Crewe Brown Ave, Somerset East, 5850, South Africa, Eastern Cape.
    • Physical Address: 8 Main St, Komga, 4950, South Africa, Eastern Cape.
    • Physical Address: 48 Church St, Adelaide, 5760, South Africa, Eastern Cape.
  • Senwes Bpk
    • Physical Address: 1 Stasie Rd, Ventersdorp, 2710, South Africa, North West.
  • Netafim
    • Physical Address: Isarel, Cape Town.
  • Klein Karoo Kooperasie
    • Physical Address: 99 Kerk St, Prince Albert, 6930, South Africa, Western Cape.
  • Porterville Ko-operatiewe Landbou Maatskappy Bpk
    • Physical Address: 2 Hoof St, Graafwater, 8120, South Africa, Northern Cape.
  • Botsitso Development Service Provider
    • Physical Address: 107 Zastron St, Westdene, Free State, 9301, South Africa, Bloemfontein.

Conclusion

Cooperatives are a type of business organization, but they are distinct from the more common investor-owned firms. This is because IOFs usually pursue profit maximization objectives, whereas cooperatives work to maximize the benefits that they generate for their members without any motivation for profit.

Agricultural cooperatives are therefore created in situations where farmers cannot get essential services from IOFs or banks (because the provision of these services is judged to be unprofitable by the IOF’s), or when IOFs or banks provide the services at disadvantageous terms and conditions to the farmers (i.e., the services are available, but the farmers cannot afford the terms and conditions).

The former situations can be a result of a financial system that leaves out farmers because banks are averse to sharing in their losses during times of drought or disease.  The latter can be as a result of an insensitive government system which does not regulate the banks, and so demand that they make the terms and conditions fair to farmers, so that they can be encouraged to get credit facilities from the financial services sector of the economy.

In any case, Agricultural Cooperatives have become a necessity in many countries because farmers have been forced to take their destinies into their own hands so as to remain in business and stay profitable.

A practical outcome that has come about as a result of the creation of agricultural cooperatives is the ability of farmers to pool production and/or resources together in order to solve their problems.

Cooperatives provide a method for farmers to join together in an ‘association’, through which a group of farmers can acquire help each other gain knowledge of the new improved seeds, machines, and methods of doing things, as well help each other raise the capital to invest in the things that they need to get a better yield, and so get better profit. Cooperatives’ membership base can vary remarkably. Some cooperatives can have fewer than 20 members while others can have more than 10,000.

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