National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF)

韩国农协中央会

CountryKorea

ICA regionAsia-Pacific (ICA Asia-Pacific)

MembershipFull Member

Organisation typeNational apex organisation

Sector(s)Agriculture

WCMListed in the World Cooperative Monitor Top 300

Profile

The National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NongHyup, NACF) was established in 1961 through the merger of the former agricultural cooperatives and the Agricultural Bank, with the aim of building a national cooperative system for Korean farmers, headquartered in Seoul. As the apex body, its operations span three areas: sales and supply, banking and insurance, and farmer-focused guidance and extension; it oversees about 1,100 primary comprehensive agricultural cooperatives with a combined membership of about 2 million farm households. NACF is one of Korea's most important agricultural institutions, one of the world's highest-turnover cooperatives, and an important member of the International Cooperative Alliance.

Supplementary Reference Material

Reference period: 2013年前后

Materials compiled from Sino-foreign exchange visits describe Korea's agricultural cooperative system as centred on the national federation and township-level primary agricultural cooperatives, with the federation maintaining branch offices at the city/county level and carrying out guidance, coordination and support functions for primary cooperatives. The materials note that Korea's approximately 1,163 primary agricultural cooperatives have about 2.45 million members, covering almost the entire farming population; the federation is organised into three main divisions — economic business, financial business, and education and support business — serving agricultural product distribution, rural finance, and education and training respectively. Agricultural cooperatives have served as an important vehicle for rural development policies such as the 'Saemaul (New Village) Movement', and have played a role in organising transactions and reducing distribution intermediaries through agricultural wholesale markets, producing-area distribution centres and large-city agricultural distribution centres.

Note: this section is compiled mainly from materials gathered during exchange visits between Chinese and international cooperative organisations, and does not represent an official position. Because it draws on first-hand exchanges and observed institutional practice, it is offered as contextual reference material.

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