COOPERATIVE SIGNIFICANCE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF AGRO - RURAL ECO NOMY OF BOSNIA AND HERCEGOVINA

Cooperatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have a long term tradition according to the data from 1991 year with 196 registered agriculture cooperatives organization of which 72 wereon the today's territory of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and 124 on the territory that belongs Republic of Srpska (RS) according to the Dayton agreement. Today on the territory of BiH according to the data of cooperative association there is around 500 cooperatives and on the territory of RS 347 cooperatives. Cooperatives have been through different phases of development and many ups and downs of economic trends, especially in sector of agriculture production. In this paper, intension of auto rs is to show the number of cooperatives with description of types that existed on those areas. Cooperatives have significant factor of agriculture development in many of the countries of Europena Union (EU) and they contribute to economic vitality of rura l areas, economic growth and development, creation of social and national income, employing population and tourism development. Represent a main link in a food chain as a long arm of agriculture production. Despite the difficulties that cooperatives in BiH and RS has been it is necessary to do a thoroughly revitalization of cooperatives with stronger competitiveness, rational usage and protection of natural resources, continuous agriculture and rural development, preservation of culture and historic values.