ANALYSIS OF THE MODERN AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES ACTIVITY IN ROMANIA

The paper analyses the activity of agricultural cooperatives in Romania. The purpose of this paper is to provide information about the prospects of the cooperative sector as a means to improve the living conditions of the inhabitants in the rural environment, to ensure the increase in the producers’ revenues, to consolidate the economic role of the producers’ occupational entities, to improve and develop the activity in the agricultural sector and implicitly in the national economy. The current economic crisis has led to the development of cooperatives in Romania as well. Thus, we may say that at national level, according to the year they were established, there has been an increase in the number of cooperatives beginning with 2009, when 56 were registered. In 2010 the number increased to 81, and in 2011 the number of registered cooperatives decreased, reaching 54. At region level, the North-Western region stood out in 2010 with a number of 48 agricultural cooperatives. The year 2009 was representative for the Western region, with 7 cooperatives and for the NorthWestern region with 14 cooperatives, and the year 2011 was the most representative for the North-Western region with 16 established cooperatives. From the analysis of the public data and the field investigation, in 2012 there were 511 identified agricultural cooperatives and cooperative companies operating in Romania.