The Department of Agriculture (DA),in partnership with UCPB-CIFF Finance and Development Corp. (COCOFINANCE), will establish coco centers to provide assistance in channeling partner agencies to small coconut growers.
The agribusiness one-stop-shop called “Malasakit sa Magniniyog: Coco Center intends to elevate the coconut farmers especially those who are in the poorest in the agricultural sector.
The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said that restoring livelihoods and building the resilience of coconut farmers was a paramount consideration in the aftermath of the typhoon
“This meant providing farmers with a stable source of alternative livelihood that can be sustained even with limited land resources and capital,” FAO added.
“Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar and UCPB-CIFF Finance and Development Corp. (COCOFINANCE) and UCPB-CIFF FOUNDATION, INC. President and CEO Rehan Balt Lao signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on February 13 at the Office of the Secretary in Quezon City,” report from the Department of Agriculture said.
Respectively, the coco center will be established in 67 coconut provinces in the Philippines that will start in Mindanao regions.
“The said center will also serve as a touchpoint for investors to directly link up with coco groups for the supply of finished products, raw materials and labor for coconut-related enterprises,” report stated.
“Apart from institutionalizing farmers’ cooperatives, it is high time to professionalize farmers’ cooperative, which will not only focus on productivity but will also carry out value-adding and marketing activities,” DA Secretary William Dar emphasized.
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