A conference aimed to see what improvements can be made to the operations of cooperatives is being held next month, Parliamentary Secretary Edwin Vassallo said yesterday during a preliminary meeting about the National Conference on Cooperatives.

“The organisation of a number of small businesses and self-employed into a cooperative should be seen as a different way of doing business, particularly as competition is on the increase,” he said.

The conference will be held on Saturday 24 March, bringing together representatives of all the cooperatives.

“The aim of this conference is to induce these representatives to examine their operations and see where they can improve. We also hope that the success stories of these cooperatives will serve as an example for self-employed persons and small-business owners who may be looking for an alternative method of doing business in order to beat market competition.”

Apart from representatives of a number of cooperatives, the preliminary meeting was also attended by members of the Cooperatives Board and APEX.

In Malta there are 54 cooperatives with 352 members. The government, Mr Vassallo said, was determined to see an increase in these figures. Cooperatives could be a tool for small businesses to improve the quality of their work, and by working together, they could achieve greater successes for the individual businesses. Examples of different sectors that had cooperatives were those of farmers, pharmacists, carpenters, culture, media, stevedores, and coaches. Cooperatives could be adapted to suit the needs of any sector, and could be applied to any commercial activity.

Mr Vassallo said cooperatives did not belong to the past. Persons in business should see cooperatives as another method of doing business.