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In some senses the functioning of Turkish-Cypriot co-operatives in the north,
particularly the agricultural co-operatives, has conformed more with the concept of
pseudo co-operation, fulfilling quasi-state functions, rather than with concepts of
locai, independent co-operation. The Ministry of Resettlement re-distributed food,
agricultural inputs and machinery through locai co-operatives societies 23 . The
CTCCB gave credit to locai Credit and Multi-purpose Societies and they in turn
passed it on to their members. This formed 90% of ali credit issued by independent
Credit Societies, who had formerly issued credit from their own reserves, (hence
their independence). Much of this agricultural credit came originally from the state
Central Bank, in the form of subsidised credit for agricultural purposes. Thus the
CTCCB and other agencies re-cycled assets and public funds through locai
independent co-operatives as part of government economic policy. At a pragmatic
level, it is more expensive for individuai co-operatives to act alone (importing etc.).
Because of the special rates it can demand (due to bulk purchasing) the CTCCB has
supplied many of the products dispensed by the locai co-operatives. This is
particularly with regard to agricultural imports, for which the CTCCB has remained
the key supplier. However, a few locai independent co-operatives, such as PEYAK
Ltd (a large urban multi-purpose co-operative), have, through their large retail
sector, directly imported many goods themselves (mostly from Turkey).
Most Turkish-Cypriots have remained members of co-operatives, especially lower
income groups and, automatically, government employees (which, together, covers
almost every Turkish-Cypriot in northern Cyprus). Personal lending cornes from
local co-operatives' own resources, but this is almost exclusively an urban and a
Turkish-Cypriot - rather than Turkish - phenomenon. The credit from Savings
Banks (also a mostly urban form of co-operative) is only in the form of personal
23 Morvaridi, B. "Demographic Change, Resettlement and Resource Use", in Dodd 1993. op. cit.,
p. 224.
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