Haw Farmers Form China’s First Special Cooperative – Zhang Yuzhe

From Caijing.com.cn:

A new law has cleared the way for haw farmers in eastern China to form a special cooperative that gives them more clout on the market. Fruit farmers in eastern China’s Shandong Province have formed the country’s first, legal agriculture cooperative now that a new law has taken effect.

The law allows farmers to form cooperatives to market particular crops, paving the way for the Shandong Qingzhou Qingfeng Stockade Haw Development Cooperative to obtain a business license. Before the law took effect July 1, farm cooperatives in rural China were not considered legal entities and had trouble negotiating business contracts, obtaining financing, and getting permission to expand operations. [Full Text]