Ways to Increase the Competitiveness of Agricultural Consumer Cooperatives in Modern Conditions

Abstract

This paper explores the problem of developing agricultural consumer cooperation enterprises and increasing their competitiveness. According to the authors, the development of agricultural cooperation can give an impetus to increasing the potential of rural areas, will solve the food security problem of the Russian Federation, and stimulate the development of national agriculture. The study identifies the main problems that hinder the development of agricultural cooperation in Russia, including the low competitiveness of these enterprises, insufficient knowledge and poor motivation of the population to create a cooperative movement, the lack of effective state support for agricultural producers from the regional and federal authorities, as well as policies pursued by large retailers, which are mainly aimed at increasing imports of agricultural products. The authors propose a comprehensive approach to solve these problems by highlighting several key priority areas. At the same time, the priority task is to increase the competitiveness of consumer cooperation enterprises and their products. The paper analyses the activities of agricultural consumer cooperation enterprises in the Republic of Tatarstan and offers recommendations to improve the competitiveness of consumer societies, in particular, by creating a wholesale distribution and logistics link for cooperation, reducing costs, and optimizing the assortment.