JACOM [Special feature: Now, our JA's turn] Oria Agricultural Cooperative -Somura Village Agricultural Cooperative (Aomori Prefecture) Director Toshinori Tazawa (Aomori Prefecture) Toshinori Tazawa is December 24, 2020.

Toshinori Tazawa in his apple garden

Agricultural cooperatives with highly rated nationwide

Soma Village in Aomori Prefecture was abolished in February 2006 by merger of municipalities with Iwaki -cho, Hirosaki City, and is now Hirosaki City.On the other hand, the Soma Village Agricultural Cooperative continued to survive as a regional agricultural cooperative without participating in the Tsugaru Hirosaki Agricultural Cooperative, which has a head office in Hirosaki City, and has a high reputation for "apple sales agricultural cooperatives" nationwide.

The Soma Village Agricultural Cooperative is 398 union members, 39 staff members (of which 5 farmers), and 3.6 billion yen out of 3.7 billion yen in the current fiscal year (19 (Toru Kazumoto).year).

Toshinori Tazawa was the agricultural cooperative as an apple sales representative, the director of the apple section, the director of the apple sales headquarters, and the General Affairs Division.He was always the center of the construction of an apple sales agricultural cooperative.It was highly evaluated and won the 34th (FY2012) Agricultural Cooperative Culture Award.

His apple garden is next to the large apple facilities of the agricultural cooperative.The well -maintained "wai -haun cultivation" is a model apple garden, facing the core road in the center of the village and is located in many farmers.In fact, it is also used as a garden for farming guidance in the blue sky classroom with apple cultivation guidance.

Born in November 1957 (Showa 32), Tazawa retired from agricultural cooperatives due to the early retirement system he had advanced at the age of 50, when he was the General Affairs Department, and revitalized the agricultural cooperative.。Since then, he has been working on high -quality apple cultivation as an apple farmer in a family business, and is currently active in the creation of apple -producing areas and regional development as an agricultural cooperative director and a local manager.

3 Crisis Step up each time

At a meeting with Mr. Tazawa, we first heard the "Agricultural Cooperative Movement".Many initiatives have been talked about, but I will introduce them to three points on paper restrictions.

From the conclusion, there was a three major crisis in the sales of apple sales, but every time the crisis, we planned measures for the farmers union members, and the union managers are all together.What we worked on was that farmers were conscious of "the agricultural cooperative of Oraho (ourselves)."The number of apple sales has increased to 95 %, which was about 45 %.Not only that, the union members are looking at the "Agricultural Cooperative that helped me", which showed the cooperation of the credit and employees' credit and the mutual aid and purchase business, and the usage rate increased and the entire business increased significantly.be.

The first three major crises are the crash of apple prices.Until the high economic growth era, apples were sold if they were made.However, since then, consumer preferences have changed, and the era of choosing high -quality and delicious apple.As a result, the price of the varieties "Star King", which was the main subject at that time, collapsed to 1000 yen, which had a farmer's take -out of about 4000 yen per box.

Apple farmers have become unable to live, not to secure reproduction funds.Therefore, the agricultural cooperative has been updating varieties to new varieties.Agricultural cooperatives were provided by 80 % of seedlings.Its scale exceeded 100 million yen in three years.

The largest brand in Japan with the Horima seal apple

Agricultural cooperatives that manufacture 1.5 million bottles/1 liter a year

The second crisis was Typhoon No. 19 in September 1991 (Heisei 3).The apple before the harvest almost fell.There is no income from farmers.Therefore, the agricultural cooperative was the first to work on all the actors in the raw food and juice processing of the fallen apple.The unique apple juice processing from that time is now a popular product that sells 1.5 million liter bottles.We practiced such measures to secure agricultural income.In addition, we also made a loan of reproduction funds.

The third crisis is the problem of apple -free pesticides, Daihortan (fungicide).Although the agricultural cooperative does not handle these non -registered pesticides, the entire apple in Aomori Prefecture has been reputed as a result of a part of the union member buying and using it from a trader.There were several members of the farmer of the applicable, but the apple was removed and disposed of.The agricultural cooperative's apple proved that it was safe and expressed.The quickest response in Aomori Prefecture was able to get a high reputation in the market.

After the first crisis, the brand was promoted to become the best apple in Japan.At that time, the giant star (second) was just popular in TV anime.The main character's name, "Hoshihi Yuma", and a horse connection between Soma Agricultural Cooperative, "Hiuma" was the brand name and logo, and the sales of the Hiroma stamp were promoted.

Along with apple producer agricultural cooperative female members (at that time, women's members), they continued to sell to the North in the north to the Nagoya market and mass retailers in the south.

As a result, the evaluation (unit price) of apple (unit price) is the target of the apple by updating the varieties by 80 % of the seedlings, increasing the level of cultivation technology, and creating a production area that has become an agricultural cooperative, along with the stricter of the selection standards.Was reached 10 years later in Japan 14 and 5 years later.

This has led to the improvement of farm income of farmers and the development of the local economy.

Women's department / agricultural cooperative officials are apples sales campaign nationwide

How are you looking at the current agricultural cooperative

Mr. Tazawa, an agricultural cooperative practitioner, was wondering how he was looking at the current agricultural cooperative.He pointed out four points when he heard the evaluation of agricultural cooperatives from a nationwide perspective, not his own agricultural cooperatives.

The first point is that the number of officers and employees is that the number of people who can talk about "what is agricultural cooperatives" and "how to do agriculture" has decreased.It is the essence of the agricultural cooperative movement.The spiritual co -op spirit of altruism is basically reforming consciousness and building friends.It is important to communicate between people and people for the creation of common recognition.It is important to talk.

The second point is that "it is unfortunate for farmers to be the top person without a sense of crisis."If a person who has a strong desire to reveal himself is the top of the organization, it cannot be an agricultural campaign to promote the happiness of farmers union members.Even if a competitive union is created, the cooperative cannot be created.At such tops, it is difficult to create a cooperative society.

The third point is that "agricultural co -op officers are dating a specific person, so they lack information gathering and weakly recognized on local issues."In order to promote the creation of a cooperative society in the region, the efforts to hear the voices of many union members, the unbalanced information collection skills, and the fair -and fair recognition power are required.

The fourth point is that "while the region is aging, there is a lack of awareness of the agricultural cooperative."Agricultural cooperatives required by regions and rural areas, and the important problem awareness of existence is the way of the agricultural cooperative business for the elderly.It is strongly required to establish an agricultural cooperative business as a living infrastructure for the elderly and the vulnerable in the region, and a business involving many people in the region.

Agricultural cooperative agricultural product direct sales "Apple" set up to establish and operate the "Rice Roman Club", which is a farm to protect land -type agriculture such as paddy fields that Mr. Tazawa worked on, to secure the life of the elderly and to secure incomeIt was realized by the highly awareness of problems in the region and the practical skills of improvement measures such as (apples) forests.

Think about the future of agricultural cooperatives

Finally, I asked what the "good agricultural cooperative" that Mr. Tazawa thinks about the future of agricultural cooperatives.It is said that the answer is an agricultural cooperative that union members seem to be "Oiraho (themselves) agricultural cooperatives".He added that the following three points are important in order to create an agricultural cooperative that members can have the consciousness of their own agricultural cooperatives.

The first is to increase the number of farmers' union members (increase agricultural income).It is a branded apple sales and a direct sales place for agricultural products.

The second is that executives and employees are good.I am in trouble if I am an agricultural cooperative staff who can not respond because it is out of hours, Sundays and holidays.It is the ability to respond to the union members to increase the satisfaction of the union.Third, priority is to prioritize executive and employee education over union education.The content of the education is to enhance the situation in the world, the ability to respond to union members, reform, and regional activity.

When he asked, "What is your largest relic for posterity?"It is an agricultural cooperator who is also loved by the 450 -year -old trigger, the director of the regional revitalization cooperative, and the chairman of the Soma Sawada Rouzaku Festival.

I was convinced that the construction of a good agricultural cooperative would be realized by these good agricultural cooperatives.Agricultural cooperatives grow up looking at the top view of the top.I strongly realized that the top had to be a good agricultural cooperative.

450 -year -old strange training, Soma's Sawada Rouku Festival