The Party and State always speak highly of contributions that the cooperative sector has made to the country’s socio-economic development, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has said.

With 360,000 cooperative groups, 18,300 separate cooperatives and 49 cooperative alliances, the cooperative sector plays an important role in various economic fields such as agriculture, small-scale industries, transportation and rural credit, the Deputy PM told a meeting of the 100 best production and business cooperatives nationwide in Hanoi on July 16.

The sector is still an indispensable force for the economic restructuring, elimination of poverty, job creation and socio-political stability, he stressed.

He also asked the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance to pay due attention to acting as an advisor to the Party and State in developing the cooperative sector.

According to the President of the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance Nguyen Tien Quan, almost all the above economic fields have models of effective cooperatives.

The cooperatives are also very active in carrying out their social responsibilities and in community development, he added./.