Economic Components of Agricultural Production Cooperatives from the Viewpoints of Involved Managers: Challenges and Solutions

     Agricultural production cooperatives with a history of over five decades are known as one of the experienced operation systems in Iran, though they have faced many challenges and problems in the process of their activities and plan implementations. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating the economic components of these cooperatives from the viewpoints of the involved managers. The statistical society included the cooperatives’ board of directors' members in six provinces. The sample size was determined 79 members by using Cochran equation. The results from multiple regression and correlation coefficient showed that among the studied variables, the adoptability of applied technologies in the cooperatives, government technical and credit supports, supply of fertilizers and pesticides as well as providing the inputs required by the farmers, agricultural insurances (including farming, livestock and fisheries), land consolidation credits, energy carriers, and guarantied purchase of products were found effective on achieving the goals of production cooperatives; in addition, less attention to the cooperatives in the Subsidies Targeting Plan, insufficient cash and capital turnover, lack of cooperation on the part of banks in assigned facilities payments and high interest rates of bank facilities for establishing the cooperatives were among others known as the main obstacles and problems faced by these cooperatives.