Taking over as the Regional Director of ICA Asia-Pacific in January this year, Mr. Chan Ho Choi thinks he is lucky to be in an area where cooperative movement is the strongest. Lauding India and its first Prime Minister Pandit Nehru he says that it was Nehru who invited ICA to set up base in India. Indian office of ICA is the first office anywhere in Asia.
There are challenges and there are some encouraging developments too. Citing the case of Myanmar, Mr. Choi said that the cooperative has taken over micro financing in a big way by opening cooperative banks under the guidance of UNDP. The model is so successful that it can be easily replicated in other countries.
Similarly, IEEDA in Japan provides long term training and education in agri cooperative.
Along with carrying the traditional objective of cooperative movement, Mr. Choi emphasizes that trading between cooperatives should be encouraged. It’s not a matter of cooperative solidarity alone but it has to be commercially profitable for the parties involved. To promote the cause of trading within cooperatives, ICA is organizing ICA Expo, 2010 in Bangalore in December, Mr. Choi added.
On talking about the road map of ICA Asia Pacific for the three years he is there, Mr. Choi says that he has 4 point agenda. Service to members, structural reforms, influence on national international level and contribution in the development process. By governmental support sometimes, the cooperatives do well but as the fund dries up, it faces the prospect of closure. We have to inculcate the right attitude among cooperatives so that such situations are averted, said Mr. Choi
In a short period of less than one year ICA Asia-Pacific has increased its membership to 71 from 63. Mr. Choi aims to take this number to 100 by the time his deputation comes to an end in 2012. There are 50 countries in Asia-Pacific but only 25 countries are members of ICA Asia-Pacific. Mr. Choi aims at increasing the participation of more countries in the cooperative movement till he is around.
Two H which means Housing and Health are special areas of interest for Mr. Choi. He says the movement has to focus more on these areas as many people live in slums in cities. We have to come up with housing solution for People which is not a daunting task if cooperatives adopt it in a big way. Similarly we are lagging behind in health cooperatives and there is need for intervention of cooperatives in this sector.
Talking of cooperatives’ scope in rural areas Mr. Choi has interesting story to tell. The areas where coastline is being overseen by cooperatives they are generally clean and conserve the climate. He quotes Philippines as a case in point. Fisheries and forestry are other areas which are crying for attention of cooperative movement.
There are indeed many challenges. But patience and perseverance will help achieve difficult targets. Cooperative movement indeed needs dedicated persons like Mr. Choi who has his own vision and pitches his bit to achieve them.