Cooperative Union of Serbia

Serbia’s national association of farming co-operatives

We work with…

…farming co-operatives and provincial and district co-operative alliances

…agribusinesses

…other co-operative alliances

…government bodies

Photo - Production: Suprenatural

What we do

The Cooperative Union of Serbia serves Serbia’s farming co-operatives by advocating their interests, promoting their development, and encouraging co-operation between them.

Helping to establish new co-operatives

The Cooperative Union of Serbia (CUS) helps co-operatives become established and achieve their goals, including by assisting them with drafting byelaws and other documents they need to get formally recognized by the Serbian Business Registries Agency.

Advocating co-operatives’ interests

We speak for co-operatives and provincial and district alliances in contacts with the government and seek to protect them from the monopolies of manufacturers that use agricultural raw materials.

Assisting financial consolidation

We help co-operative members engage and work with financial organisations, aid them by analysing their business models, and assist them with restructuring and consolidation.

Supporting business policies

We take part in the adoption of business and agricultural policies, assess their impact on agribusiness trends, and evaluate their effects on co-operatives and development of the co-operative sector.

Aiding co-operatives’ operations

We help co-operatives introduce shared business functions and establish firms that will bring their products to markets, banks, savings and loan institutions, and other entities.

Promoting education

We work with schools and universities to develop curricula that will ensure agribusinesses and co-operatives have access to a trained workforce.

In the 1930s, when the co-operative farmers of the Southern Serbian village of Sićevo built a new assembly hall, they chose for it a motto for it that has remained relevant to this day:

"Co-operation is the principle that all progress is founded upon"