KAMMPIL AgriCoop is an enterprise on integrated coconut processing of small coconut farmers and farm workers working together to attain better economic conditions for its members their families and communities. It is a primary cooperative of small coconut farmers in Leyte and registered since July 1, 2016, under the Cooperative Development Authority with Registration Number 9520-1080000000035392. Their main purpose of cooperation is to help each other to build back a better coconut industry after the onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda happened on November 8, 2013. When the industry rebounded, KAMMPIL organized farmers who owned 5 hectares of land and below. It was put into an association and agreed to have a Cooperative. KAMMPIL AgriCoop established and built a coconut-integrated processing center to give value to the coconut products produced by the farmers. Part of these efforts is the establishment of an integrated coconut processing center where member farmers can now have the opportunity to value-add their products from the previous copra-only production. The cooperative’s major product is desiccated coconut which helps a lot of farmers as they bought whole nuts from its members and non-members small coconut farmers in their service area which covers the municipalities of Jaro, Alangalang, Barugo, Tunga, Carigara, Dagami, Burauen, Capoocan, and Kananga. During peak periods of their desiccated copra production, the cooperative processes at least 30,000 nuts per month. Aside from producing desiccated coconut, the cooperative is also engaged in the production of coco sap vinegar, coco coir pole, coco coir peat, coco coir hanks, and plant liner. The cooperative is new in the business yet they seek no competition and give priority to the farmers who are the primary contributor to the economy. The production facility and their office are located in Brgy. Daro, Jaro, Leyte.
A duly assisted organization by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) was formed to cater Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) in 2001. It was registered formerly in the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) as Kabangasan-Mapua Agrarian Reform Community Multi-Purpose (KMARC MPC) with Registration No. CDA-9520-10012919 last 17 October 2001. This was intended to strategize agricultural growth and rural economic development by pooling resources of smallholders to jointly carry out profitable activities and be able to increase participation in the value chain through a cooperative. In particular, DAR through its Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity Economic and Support Services (ARCCESS) program, creates farmer organizations known as Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) to serve as channels for the provision of support services to beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) (Ballesteros & Ancheta, 2020).
In 2003, an association of 15 members in Barangay Mapua established a Consumer Store, known as Mapua Survivor Association. Soon later, it was merged with KMARC MPC in 2008. Hence, KMARC MPC expanded to KAMADA ARC COOP—Kabangasan-Mapua-Dahilig Agrarian Reform Community Cooperative. This is from three (3) barangays in Balingoan, Misamis Oriental—Barangay Kabangasan, Barangay Mapua, and Barangay Dahilig. KAMADA ARC COOP is located at Brgy. Mapua, Balingoan, Misamis Oriental. Currently, it has 5,000 regular farmer-members and 9,000 associate farmer-members from Region X- Northern Mindanao, specifically the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Camiguin, and Bukidnon. It now has four (4) branches—Mapua Branch, Balingoan Branch, Gingoog Branch, and Balingasag Branch. Aside from savings and credit, KAMADA ARC COOP is into agribusiness activities such as corn production, livestock, fisheries, abaca fiber production, copra processing and trading, and cassava flour processing. It has been utilizing a total of around 400 hectares of farmlands in the region.
KAMADA ARC COOP aims to provide additional employment, especially to the farmers. This is in line with the cooperative’s vision of “A strong and sustainable cooperative responsive to the needs of the members and community” to improve and build a stronger relationship between farmers, partner agencies, and cooperatives.
MAALSADA Farmer Irrigators Agriculture Cooperative (MAALSADA-FISCO) is a farmer organization, established last 2022, seized the opportunity to provide staple food in the provinces of Leyte and Samar. It is registered as a multipurpose cooperative at Barangay Dapdap, Alangalang, Leyte. It is composed of rice farmers from Barangay Mudburon; Sitio Amanantas, Barangay Dapdap; Sitio Libas, Barangay Dapdap; Barangay San Pedro; Barangay Salvacion; and Barangay Dapdap. The organization was formed to engage in the repair and rehabilitation, operation, and maintenance of farm-level irrigation canals; to extend lending for agricultural input requirements of the members; for rice and vegetable production; for processing and marketing of the member’s products or produce; and to facilitate the procurement of farm inputs for the members.
One of the major business operations of the cooperative is palay trading and rice processing. The cooperative supplies rice to Eastern Visayas Medical Center, Dulag Rehabilitation Hospital, Divine World Hospital, and other local business establishments and consumers. The main activity of the organization is to process purchased rice paddies and turn them into commercial rice that will contribute to the supply of the staple food in the region, and at the same time increase the income capacity of the farmers within the province. Furthermore, the cooperative is optimistic about grabbing opportunities for training that are available to be conducted by several government agencies within reach.
The Barangay Calube Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative (BACFA MPC) is a farmers’ cooperative wherein majority of the members are coconut farmers from different parts of Lanao Del Norte. It is registered with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) in April 2009 with the registration number 9520-100013937. Currently the cooperative has 183 members of good standing with an asset of PhP 7,751,546. The cooperative is also positioned in several bodies of the Local Government Unit (LGU), like the Municipal/Provincial Cooperative Development Councils (M/PCDCs) and the Municipal/Provincial Development Councils (M/PDCs).
At present, the organization is engaging in micro-lending, pure turmeric processing, copra and charcoal processing and trading businesses. During the pandemic, when people are restricted to go out from their residents, most farmers, especially the coconut farmers, are encouraged to plant Cardava banana as an intercrop to coconut. Since then, Cardava bananas have been harvested from the farm. One of the challenges that they have encountered was the insufficient market size. This has left bananas rotten and eaten by birds and chickens. Farmer-members had no clue how to deal with the issue. At first, the administration planned to process bananas chips, but due to proliferation of banana chips in the market, this forestalled the processing of the cooperative. Accordingly, the organization asked the assistance of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), whom has advised the management to process banana flour, for the reason that this has an outstanding demand in the market. In view of the fact that Gardenia has requested DTI’s assistance to scout for a volume of supply of banana flour, the concept started. By means of this, BACFA MPC requested DTI for a seminar on banana flour processing, hence, the incubation of the product has begun.
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