Speakers
Gustav Sawatzky
President of the Board of Directors
FECOPROD
Website: www.fecoprod.com.pyConference theme:
SIMULTANEOUS FORUM: North-South Intercooperation
"I am participating in the International Summit of Cooperatives because…"
“I want to tell the world about Paraguay's cooperative movement. I enjoy sharing ideas and being a part of discussions about the socioeconomic development projects of cooperatives. It allows me to discover new models being used around the world by various cooperative sectors, so I can determine the best example for Paraguay and apply it effectively there. I would also like to learn about models for the development of ports, agrochemicals, etc.”
Biography
Gustav Sawatzky Toews has a degree in education and nearly 20 years of teaching experience. Since 1993, he has been involved on the boards of directors of many Paraguayan cooperatives.
In addition to being a dairy producer and a cattle breeder, he is also President of the Board of Directors of FECOPROD (Federation of Production Cooperatives), Treasurer of CONPACOOP (Paraguayan Cooperatives Confederation), Vice-President of the Management Committee of the Fundación Nikkei-Cetapar research centre, and Member of the Land Advisory Council for Paraguay's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.
About FECOPROD
FECOPROD is a second-tier organization with 33 production cooperative members, representing 60% of Paraguay's agricultural production.
Since its inception on August 23, 1975, the Federation has been pursuing the same clearly defined objectives, which remain relevant today. Our primary goal is to provide institutional support to our member cooperatives by establishing various mechanisms to defend their socioeconomic interests. Our guiding principles are based on cooperative values, which we tirelessly promote while encouraging other organizations to engage in cooperative activities, as we firmly believe the cooperative model is the path of progress.
We are constantly striving to become more competitive by using the most up-to-date knowledge and technology, and by providing member cooperatives the tools they need to adapt to changing realities. We also help member cooperatives and partner organizations improve in other areas, such as sustainable development.
At the end of 2008, we obtained ISO 9001:2000 certification, based on a strategic decision made by the Board of Directors. The ISO standard is another tool to strengthen our project management and internal processes to improve the quality of the services we offer our member cooperatives.
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