By Md Aynal Haque

RAJSHAHI, Nov 9, 2023 (BSS) - Cooperative has made many urban and rural people, particularly women, successful, improving their living and livelihood conditions through engagement in the cooperative activities in the region.
 
Mukhlesur Rahman, Joint Registrar of the Department of Cooperative, said they are working relentlessly to improve the socio-economic condition of the cross-sections of people through organizing them.
 
There are 14,154 cooperative societies in all 67 upazilas of eight districts in Rajshahi division and the societies have made effective capital worth Taka 497.94 crore besides mobilizing deposits of around Taka 354.23 crore at present.
 
Rahman said 456 cooperative societies consisting of 12,180 members were constituted in 1,418 barracks of 200 Ashrayan projects. The beneficiary members were given loans worth around Taka 24.72 crore.
 
A project titled "Livelihood Development of Underprivileged Women through rearing improved cows" is being implemented in 12 cooperative societies in six upazilas of four districts in the division.
 
Under the project, 2,141 beneficiary women were given loans worth around Taka 3.42 crore.
 
On behalf of the 'Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Generation of Women Cooperatives through Bangamata Mohila Samabay Samity' project, 28 cooperative societies consisting of 1,046 members were formed in the division. The members have, so far, made effective capital worth Taka 18.27 lakh.
 
Suborna Khatun, 45, a resident of Bidirpur village at Mohanpur Upazila, has become an icon for her various income-generating cooperative activities.
 
"I had taken Taka 15,000 from our Ghashful Mohila Somobai Samity in Mohanpur Upazila of the district as loan for the first time in 2016," she said.
 
She has expanded her ventures to diversified fields, including homestead gardening, poultry birds rearing, beef fattening and potato farming at present after the best use of the borrowed money.
 
 "I have learnt how to become self-reliant through income-generating activities and to contribute to society," she said.
 
 Cooperative has taught the village people to help each other and eradicate their plights, she added.

Another cooperative beneficiary Rozina Begum, 38, of Khoira village under Mohanpur upazila has become almost self-reliant through manufacturing vermi-compost.

With her husband Abu Bakkar's close collaboration, she established a household factory for manufacturing organic fertilizer.
 
Vermicompost fertilizer, one kind of organic fertilizer made from earthworm, has started becoming popular in the region.
 
Rozina Begum is now an ideal in their village as she shed the light on knowledge of producing vermicompost fertilizer.
 
She said only earthworm and cow-dung are used in producing vermicompost fertilizer which also helps protect the environment, maintain fertility of the land, increase resistance power of crops against diseases and escalate crops production.
 
Shefali Tudu, 42, a member of Mundumala Mohila Somobai Samity in Tanore Upazila, has brought happiness to their four-member family through homestead gardening after taking loan from the cooperative association.
 
 "We have been producing chemical-free vegetables, using vermin-compost. We are also selling some vegetables in the local market after meeting the family's demand," Tudu said.
 
She added chemical-free vegetables are in high demand at the village, and locals purchase the vegetables at higher prices.
 
She also said they cultivate red leafy, bottle gourd, carrot, snake gourd and napa shak on 40 decimals of land by using bio-fertilizer.
 
She does not go to the local market to sell the vegetables, rather villagers come to her home to purchase vegetables at high prices, she said.
 
If all the farmers grow chemical-free vegetables by using vermicompost on their lands, it will meet people's demand for chemical-free foods, Tudu continued.