Co-operative Development Division launches the C.A.N.E. Initiative.
June 17, 2016: The Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise Development’s Co-operative Development Division (CDD) launched the first phase of its Co-operative Agribusiness Networking Exercise (C.A.N.E.) at the Cipriani College of Labour and Co-operative Studies on Thursday June 16, 2016. The C.A.N.E. initiative forms part of the CDD’s Community Outreach Programmes to target the agricultural-based Co-operatives in the St. George East/West, Caroni, Victoria, Nariva/Mayaro counties and Tobago.
C.A.N.E. seek to the develop co-operatives in the non-financial, economic sectors by building skills necessary to increase marketability and attract potential investors. The CDD designed C.A.N.E. as a direct response to address the issues of poverty alleviation, employment creation and to empower vulnerable groups.
Subsequent outreach programmes are planned for the month of June leading up to International Day of Co-operatives, which is observed annually on the first Saturday in July. The CDD plans to mark this day with a grand, agricultural exposition on Saturday, July 02, 2016. The theme for this year’s International Day of Co-operatives is “Co-operatives: The Power to Act for a Sustainable Future” and will highlight the contribution of co-operatives and the co-operative business model to the sustainable development of communities and nations.
Co-operatives have traditionally served as tools for development by maximizing access to markets through economies of scale and income distribution and minimizing Government intervention and capital injection. It is anticipated that C.A.N.E. will bring about a revitalization in agriculture and empower co-operatives in the agricultural sector.
