Corruption has weakened most cooperatives: President

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has called for making cooperative societies corruption-free, increasing their capacity, ensuring effective marketing of their products, and amending the necessary laws to revive the cooperative movement.

The president said this on Sunday morning (8 November) while speaking as chief guest at a programme organised at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital on the occasion of the 55th National Cooperatives Day 2026.

The president further said, 'Most cooperatives have been ruined and their activities weakened because of corruption within cooperative societies. Only a handful of societies are working successfully. Yet the cooperative movement has a long history. To make the cooperative movement successful, the organisations must be made corruption-free.'

Noting that the late president Ziaur Rahman, the proclaimer of independence, gave great importance to cooperatives, the president said the cooperative movement began in 1904 and continued for a long time. Ziaur Rahman took the initiative to link cooperatives with his initiative to build a self-reliant Bangladesh.

The president further said that in the 1960s, Ziaur Rahman brought back Dr Akhtar Hamid Khan, known as a pioneer of the cooperative movement in Bangladesh, from Pakistan. He gave him responsibility as director general of BARD and involved him in the cooperative movement. This gave the cooperative movement a chance to move forward considerably.

The president highlighted the notable contribution and activities of former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia in developing cooperatives. He also expressed hope that the cooperative sector will move forward faster under the leadership of the present government.

Referring to the successful cooperatives of the past, the president said, 'Unfortunately, that position of cooperatives no longer exists. Gradually the cooperative movement has gone right down. The importance or attention given to this movement as before is no longer seen.'

The president called on the authorities concerned to amend the existing cooperative-related laws and make them fit for the times, in a way suitable for the development and expansion of the cooperative sector.

He also called for arrangements so that cooperative societies can survive by competing with the country's non-governmental development organisations.

The president said the concept of non-governmental development organisations in Bangladesh has progressed very successfully. The cooperative movement has also fallen behind because of the activities of these organisations. As a result, cooperative institutions have to compete with them. Arrangements must be made so that cooperative societies gain the capacity to compete and survive against non-governmental development organisations.

The president called on the ministries concerned to take effective steps for proper marketing of products produced by cooperative institutions. He said there is a major problem in marketing the products produced by cooperative institutions.

The president said the Department of Cooperatives and the ministry can take initiatives in this regard. Cooperative-based companies can be formed to help cooperative societies market these products. There is a considerable lack of such initiatives in Bangladesh. Removing this gap in product marketing is extremely important.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the core idea of cooperatives is to work together in unity. To move the country forward by facing various challenges, everyone must be united. The conspiracies and plots to push the country backwards must be faced, and work must be done to take the country forward unitedly.

Thanking the cooperators, the president said, 'You have still held on to the cooperative movement. But holding on alone is not enough; it must be taken forward. For this, the cooperative movement must be presented more widely before the people of the country.'

This year's Cooperatives Day theme, organised by the Department of Cooperatives, is 'Korbo Somobay, Gorbo Desh. Sobar Jonno Bangladesh' (We will build cooperatives, we will build the country. Bangladesh for all). The registrar and director general of the Department of Cooperatives, Selim Fakir, delivered the welcome speech at the programme.

State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam presided over the programme. AKM Selim Reza Habib, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the ministry, Dr Rafiqul I Mohamed, secretary of the ministry, and Md Abdus Salam, president of the Bangladesh National Cooperative Union, spoke at the event. The president handed over awards and crests to successful cooperators. Earlier, on arriving at the venue, he visited various stalls.