WILLEMSTAD - On May 26th, the signing of a cooperation agreement took place between the Ministry of Economic Development (MEO) and the Federation of Cooperative Production (FKUP).
FKUP was established in 2019, and one of its initial actions was to formally engage with MEO. One of MEO's tasks as a ministry is to stimulate cooperative development in Curaçao.
Since 2019, MEO has been providing cooperation and support to FKUP in various ways. For instance, in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, MEO organized a cooperative course in which FKUP's board members could enhance their knowledge. For this purpose, MEO enlisted the cooperation of an experienced cooperative instructor from Paraguay, Mr. Florencio Nuñez, who conducted a virtual course twice a week over a period of 12 weeks.
On July 1st, 2021, FKUP and MEO jointly organized a webinar as part of the 27th edition of the International Cooperative Day celebration. The theme for that year was "Rebuilding Better Together."
Recently, FKUP and Minister Cijntje also visited Rio Hacha, Colombia, in the context of fruit and vegetable production and importation. This collaboration aims to ensure that the people have access to affordable fruits and vegetables.
This cooperation agreement strengthens the ties and work that FKUP and MEO have undertaken together, focusing on stimulating and facilitating the development of more cooperatives, specifically in production and services in Curaçao.