AGRICOOPERATIVES AND PRODUCER’S ORGANISATIONS: CASE OF EU COUNTRIES AND LESSONS FOR UKRAINE

Abstract

The article substantiates the expediency of creating a mechanism for protecting relatively small farms, which are so characteristic of the countries of the European Union (in particular Lithu-ania), in their operations at competitive markets. An ideal solution to the problem may be the crea-tion of producers organisations on the basis of an agricultural cooperatives, although this is not an uncontested option for the desired structure-forming way. The aim of the research is to develop ob-jectives and measures to activate formation of farmers producers’ organisations for sustainable agri-cultural and rural development. The study analyzed the experience of different European Union countries (legal regulations, scientific and statistical sources) in aspects of cooperation and devel-opment of producers’ organizations. Organizational leaders, institutional policy-makers and special-ists from self-governing organizations were interviewed. Also, this experience was compared to the current experience of agricultural business in Ukraine, the search for ways to transfer the best prac-tices.