AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES EXPANDED IN CROATIA, MONTENEGRO, AND THE VOJVODINA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700030610-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 14, 2011
• Sequence Number: 610
• Publication Date: January 4, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

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CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL LUNMVLIPI { IAN
CURITY INFORMATION
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
COUNTRY Yugoslavia
SUBJECT Economic - Agriculture
HOW
PUBLISHED Daily newspaper
WHERE
PUBLISHED Zagreb
DATE
PUBLISHED 30 Sep - 9 Oct 1951
LANGUAGE Serbo-Croatian
". SOCUNni CONTAIN/ OI,OAIAnON AA.O"V. TMA NATIONAL 1511551
OF TS1 ollmo ATATAI nm1 TV. ^IAAIOT O, IOIOAA.. AR AO
~. ~. C.. A I MO !1. "A ....... ITf TAAAI.IA/1O~ 0A lll~ nn una~
O/ In COOTSRS IS ANT VAVVO TO AN VVAVTNOSISU 11510. IS no?
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DATE OF
INFORMATION 1951
DATE DIST. H 7AM 1" M
NO. OF PAGES 4
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES EXPANDED
ITT CROATIA, MONTENEGRO, AND THE VOJVODINA
5,500 NEW HOUSEHOLDS JOIN FARM WORK COOPERATIVES IN THE VOJVODINA -- Zagreb,
Borba, 8 Oct 51
Novi Sad, 7 October -- Internal and external enemies of socialism in
Yugoslavia have circulated various rumors concerning farm work cooperatives.
These enemies are employing the most inscruptlous methods to undermine the
farmer's faith in the better life which exists in cooperatives. Because the
older cocperatives have already grown into model socialist establishments in
which the seeds of dissension could not be sown, enemies of the cooperatives have
concentrated their efforts on those cocperatives which are completing the third
year of their existence in 1951.
Rumors have been circulated in some sections that the government iMass paring legislation by which all cooperatives will be made a fourth type and land whi
ch members brought into the cooperative wil o 50X1-HUM
the cooperative. Where these lies have not succeeded, rumors have been
circulated to the effect that private farmers are free of obligations to the crop
purchase plan and that they live better than members of cooperatives. The aim of
all this propaganda has been to create dissatisfaction amp-g members, so they will
petition to withdraw from cooperatives they voluntarily joined 3 years ago.
The enemy, however, has miscalculated. Instead of mass withdrawals in the
Vojvodina, farm work cooperatives now include over 5,500 more households than at
the beginning of 1951, when there were 110,278 households.
In January alone, this number increased by 430; 85 of the new households
admitted were in Becej Srez alone, where the "Tisa" Farm Work Cooperative has
admitted the largest number of members in 1951, ircluding about '00 households
belonging to the Hungarian minority.
ARMY AIR
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CONFIDENTIAL
In February, cooperatives in the Vojvodina admitted 640 new households.
Sombor Srez alone admitted 86 households at that time, while over 100 were
admitted in Subotica Srez.
In March, the largest number of households were admitted to cooperatives in
Novi Sad Srez, followed by Kovacica and Stara Pazova arezas.
In April, the greatest influx was into cooperatives in Senta Srez, and, in
May, in Backer Topola Srez.
In June, cooperatives in the Vojvodina admitted 600 new households, 170 of
them in Novi Sad Srez alone.
Many households join cooperatives as soon as the harvest is completed. In
August, 650 sought admittance and 630 were accepted.
New farm work cooperatives were also established in 1951. One of these is
the cooperative formed in April by the Hungarian minority in Vrbica in Novi
Knezevac Srez.
The expansion of cooperatives in 1951 has also brought about the expulsion
from cooperatives of all those members who were unwilling to work, and who
attempted to spread dissension among members. At meetings and conferences
members were unanimous when it became necessary to expel such persons. In
January, six slackers were expelled in Becej Srez and 11 in Subotica Srez.
Slackers were also expelled in Jess, Tomic Srez, and individual expulsions
occurred in cooperatives in other srezes.
Over 116,000 households now belong to 730 farm work cooperatives in the
Vojvodina. With the admission of new members, the cooperative land area has also
increased considerably. Farm work cooperatives have about 4.4 percent more land
today than private households; including the state farms, the socialist sector
today includes over 60 percent of all the land to the Vojvodina.
Private households now have fewer pigs and sheep than cooperatives and their
members. Private individuals own about 350,000 pigs, while cooperatives have
about 170,000 pigs in their pens and 220,000 on the private plots of their members,
or two pigs per private plot and barely more than one pig per private household.
Cooperatives have about 130,000 sheep in their pens and fields, and members
have about 115,000 on their private plots. The average for private owners is
considerably lower than it is for private plots of members. Private households
have many more horses, especially work horses. However, cooperatives have about
1,600 tractors, almost five times as many as are privately owned.
In cattle breeding, cooperatives have concentrated primarily on productive
cows. About 55 percent of the cattle on cooperatives are cows. Over 50 percent
of the households included in cooperatives have about one cow on their private
plots.
Expansion of farm work cooperatives in the Vojvodina in 1951 shows that the
working farmers are joining cooperatives more and more. In addition to the poor
farmers, more and more medium-size households are joining cooperatives; of the
total number of new households admitted in 1951,40 percent were of medium size.
In spite of enemy propaganda, the cooperative peasants see but one way to a
better life. -- R. Lukic
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Titograd, 8 October -- In 1050, Montenegro had about 1.30 general agricultural
cooperatives Only 21. were in active operation; the rest were
completely inactive. This was primarily the result of a mistaken conception
regarding the longevity of general cooperatives.
Early in July 1.951, a conference was held by the Main Cooperative Council
of Montenegro to discuss the rehabilitation of these cooperatives. Srez councils
had to be organized and shown the substance of their work, and the relation of
individual people's agencies to the cooperative councils and the cooperatives had
to be explained.
The situation in the cooperatives and the councils was thus improved
considerably. Montenegro today has 84 cooperatives and 12 srez councils, and
work is now in progress on the rehabilitation of 15 more cooperatives and the
establishment of a srez council in Durmitor Srez.
Still unsolved is the question of space and personnel which were taken away
from general cooperatives and not always returned. Transportation equipment,
credit, etc., are still being distributed slowly and ineffectively. The people's
council of Niksic Srez has not yet returned the necessary commercial personnel to
the srez cooperative council, thus preventing the establishment of a commercial
agency. The supervisor trained by the Cetinje Srez Council has not yet been
returned to the council but is being retained by the People's Bank in Titograd.
The Andrijevica Srez Council still has only one clerk. Not only have personnel
taken away fron the Hercegnovi Srez Council in 1950 not been returned, but a
certain number of technical administrative personnel have been taken away in the
meantime. The bookkeeper of the general agricultural cooperative in Lijeva Rijeka
in Titograd Srez has been made registrar for the municipal people's council.
The state commercial enterprise has not been paying cooperatives when it
takes over goods from them; debts are still outstanding for 1950. .Although the
People's Bank issued instructions on granting credit to cooperatives, its
affiliates in the srezes have not obeyed instructions. They frequently do not
grant credit beceuse they fail to take individual conditions in cooperatives into
account. In addition, the srez people's council commissions are distributing
credit inequitably. Only a small part of the credit allocated for distribution
to the srez is distributed to cooperatives. Thus far, 84 cooperatives have been
granted only 143,000 dinars for industrial goods, and 10,300 dinars for crop
purchase of medicinal herbs.
Lack of space in individual srezes also hinders development of general
agricultural cooperatives. The cooperative in Murina in Andrijevac Srez has no
space, of its own, for the elementary school is now occupying the cooperative
center.
General cooperatives in Montenegro have excellent conditions for the
development of the local economy, hotelkeeping, and general agricultural
production. Many have been successful thus far, especially those in Hercegncvi
and Andrijevic srezes.
Zagreb, 29 September -- Following the unsuccessful attempts of speculators
to sabotage cooperatives in individual villages, Croatian farmers are beginning
to establish new farm work cooperatives. This is most apparent in Bjelovar
Oblast, where several farm work cooperatives have been established recently or
are in process of beinr established in Apatovac, Krizevci Srez, and Ludbreg and
Djurdjevac srezes.
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Farm work cooperatives, which were well organized and where the members
worked regularly, had good yields in 1951 which were better than on private
farms. The cooperative in Valpovo Srez had an average yield of 15 metric centners
of wheat perlhectare. All the cooperatives in this srez delivered their quotas
of grain to the crop purchase plan, and also had surpluses left for their free
disposal. This prompted the farmers to join the already established cooperatives
while preparations are being made to establish new ones.
The "Karlo Mrazovic" Cooperative in Kozarac in Beli Manastir Srez shows what
can be achieved with good work organization and good cooperation of members.
This cooperative had a yield of 7 metric centners of grain per hectare, and had
a surplus or 5 wagonloads after fulfilling its crop purchase quota. The members
are now even more willing to work; all the land is already prepared for the fall
sowing, and the preparations for beginning the sowing are complete.
The "Baranja" Farm Work Cooperative, which is in the same village, has had
much smaller yields, and its preparations for the fall sowing are incomplete
because of the poor work organization and unsatisfactory cooperation of its
members.
Farm work cooperatives in Croatia are now working on setting up bookkeeping
systems. The Foundations for Mechanization in all srezes have assumed the
responsibility of helping two or three cooperatives in setting up bookkeeping
'systems and have already begun this work. Experts from the Directorate for
Cooperative Agriculture are now working on setting up bookkeeping systems in the
"Koca Popovic" Cooperative in Dubica, which is the largest cooperative in Croatia.
"JERKO IVANCIC" FARM WORK COOPERATIVE AMONG BEST IN CROATIA -- Zagreb, Borba,
90ct51
Split, 0 October -- The "Jerko Ivancic" Farm Work Cooperative was established
early in 1946. Its policy of rewarding each according to his work has made this
cooperative one of the best in Croatia.
The cooperative includes 105 households and 130 hectares of land. Members
have utilized to Lhe fullest the Mediterranean climate, the streams, and the
Split water supply system, and have concentrated primarily on growing vegetables.
Up to four crops have been grown in one year. The cooperative obtains an averag
of five to eight wagonloads of vegetables per hectare; on the land below Marjan,
worked by a group led by Ante Tvrdic, the yield is up to 15 wagonloads per
hectare.
Ante Tvrdic is a former unemployed laborer who was 30,000 dinar- in debt
when he joined the cooperative. Today he has a fine home, has repcid his debts,
has acquired furniture and a radio, has clothed the members of his household
becomingly, and has even saved a large sum of money.
All members of the "Jerko Ivancic" Cooperative have radios, although they
could not even think of such a luxury before joining the '.ooperative. By
working together they assured the cooperative a large income during the first
half of 1951. The cooperative received 16 million dinars for vegetables sold
during this period, and 200,000 dinars in foreign exchange for vegetables it
exported. In 1951, its produce was sold in Munich, Vienna, and Graz. The
cooperative has contracted to export six wagonloads of cauliflower in December,
for which it will receive more than one half million foreign exchange dinars,
with which it will purchase machinery and transportation equipment abroad.
Members of the cooperative are paid monthly. For the first half of 1951
each member received about 30,000 dinars and a larger amount in coupons :n lieu
of cash advances. It is expected that the value of each workday this year will
be about 600 dinars 5er worker-,-
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