CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) – Various cooperatives around the country will converge in Cebu from April 18-20 for the three-day Agriculture Cooperatives Leaders Forum organized by the AgriCooPh in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA).

Around 27 agricultural cooperatives that are members of the AgriCooPH are expected to attend the said leaders forum with the theme “Creating Pathways for Social Protection, Economic Inclusion, and Ecological Preservation.”

The event aims to tackle several topics, focusing on matters related to social protection, economic inclusion, and ecological preservation.

The forum will also discuss and educate the agricultural cooperatives about the different ways that can help them improve their operations, specifically in terms of marketing and financing aspects.

Avenue for farmers, cooperatives

“Isa talaga sa pinakamalaking kulang ng ating mga farmers at fisherfolks ang financial literacy, kaya isa talaga ito sa ating pagtutuan ng pasin dito sa gaganapin na forum na ito,” said AgriCooPH chief executive officer Cresente Paez.

(Our farmers and fisherfolks really need to learn about financial literacy. This is why we are focusin on this during the forum.) 

The organizers noted that the forum will also discuss the definition of an agricultural cooperative and the role of farmers in cooperatives.

The event will serve as an avenue for the cooperatives and their members to learn about good farming systems that require less input and are organic.

It will also teach the cooperatives how to adapt to difficult conditions, especially during these times of El Niño, and  the farmers how to set up facilities, such as warehouses, combine harvesters, and others, instilling a type of mindset to the farmers that their job is not just to produce but also to manage the money and engage the market.

“It is important that we take care of our farmers, because they are the ones ensuring food security in our country. The topics there are not only about production but also supply chain, logistics, and cost-harvest facilities,” Paez added.

Expectations from the forum

Richard Hidalgo, a cooperative member from Tukuran, Zamboanga Del Norte, said he expects to learn what kind of interventions the government will be providing to the cooperatives and their members during the forum.

“Una, unsay mga pwedeng ikahatag nga mga interventions sa AgriCooPh diri namu nga mga cooperatives. Ganahan ko makabalo unsay pwede matabang nila namu, especially sa pag finance sa among dairy production since we are supplying the feeding program of the Department of Education,” said Hidalgo, who is the manager of  Baclay Multipurpose Cooperative.

(First of all, I expect to learn what are the interventions from AgriCooPh for us cooperatives. I would like to know how they can help us, especially in financing our dairy production since we are supplying the feeding program of the Department of Education.)  

“Gina look forward pud nako in terms of unsaon pagpadaghan sa milk production, unsay mga strategies in increasing the harvest of our members, especially sa rice and corn production,” he added.

(I also look forward to learning how to boost our milk production, what strategies we can apply to increase the harvest of our members especially in rice and corn production.)

Luxmi Baclayon Auxillo of Baug CARP beneficiaries, Multi-Purpose Cooperative, expects to learn about access to marketing and value-added growth, which she considers two of the most important aspects that farmers, fisherfolks, and cooperatives must learn to survive in the agri-fishery sector.

“My expectation for this forum is that it will provide an opportunity for the farmers to be united in all their problems with regards to marketing their products. With this forum, I expect that we can learn some ways on how to increase our income through value-added growth and be united in all aspects of marketing our products,” said Auxillo.

Baug CARP beneficiaries Multi-Purpose Cooperative is one of the largest cooperatives in the CARAGA region that serves farmers, fisherfolks, and marginalized people.

Government aid to cooperatives

With the help of AgriCooPh, several interventions and assistance have been extended to the cooperatives, like the "DA Easy-Peasy'' where cooperatives can access a loan program through financing from Land Bank of the Philippines and the federation itself.

The Department of Agriculture, through the AgriCooPH federation, also offers other loan programs as long as the cooperative has the capacity to manage the funds and has a complete organizational structure to ensure that their business is viable.

There are also grants like the provision of multipurpose trucks, tractors, and freezer vans intended for the delivery of their products.

The government extended full support to the farmers and cooperatives, especially during times of pandemic and typhoon Odette.
Importance of a cooperative

The forum participants also highlighted the importance of a cooperative and being a cooperative member in order to receive assistance from the government.

“Ang coop sa karon kay kinahanglan man i clusterize ang cooperative, ang kanang mga assistance, interventions from the government, dili na ihatag tagsa-tagsa, so kinahanglang ang mga farmers magpa member gyud sa mga cooperative,” said Hidalgo.

(The cooperatives need to be formed into clusters since the assistance and interventions from the government will not be granted individually. So the farmers need to become members of a cooperative.)

“A cooperative is very important for us as farmers and fisherfolks, because it helps the marginalized sector to uplift their lives and have a better quality of life, and a cooperative also promotes social protection and justice,” added Baclayon.

AgriCooPH is a national federation composed of 54 cooperatives nationwide, with around 875,000 farmer members. (RGC/PIA7 Cebu)