Human Ingenuity
Our Network’s Strength |
Montreal, Tuesday, February 22, 2005 –
La Coop fédérée held its 83rd Annual
General Meeting today at the Fairmont Le Reine Elizabeth Hotel.
More than 350 delegates from the affiliated cooperative network
took part in this important event, which was organized under
the theme of “Human Ingenuity: Our Network’s Strength.”
In his opening address, an upbeat Denis Richard, president
of La Coop fédérée, said: “I am
pleased to note that the solid performance of several of our
operations demonstrates not only the relevance of our business
offering, but the vitality and dynamism of our members and
customers.” According to Mr. Richard, sales for 2004
amounted to $2.9 billion, while La Coop fédérée’s
results at fiscal year-end showed a marked improvement over
last year.
Mr. Richard was careful to note that although 2004 was a good
year, La Coop fédérée is continuously
faced with key issues that have led to agricultural restructuring
worldwide, including trade globalization, increasing economic
concentration both upstream and downstream of the agricultural
sector and a decline in the number of producers and their
income. “Agricultural cooperatives can and must be part
of the solutions to be implemented, and they can and must
contribute to transforming these issues into development opportunities
for their members,” concluded Mr. Richard.
Today, La Coop fédérée represents over
51,000 members in 97 cooperatives, ranging from agricultural
cooperatives to consumer and processing coops. These cooperatives
meet the many varied needs of farm producers and consumers
who have joined forces to gain access to high-quality products
and services at competitive prices.
| Information : |
Caroline Morin
Communications Advisor – La Coop fédérée
Telephone : 514-858-2048
Email : [email protected] |
