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The Department of Agriculture – Caraga through its Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) turned over a P5.8 million financial grant to seven (7) Farmers Cooperative and Associations (FCAs) under the program Enhanced Kadiwa Financial Grant, on May 16 at Grand Palace Hotel, Butuan City.
The Enhanced Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita Financial Assistance Program aims to help farmers and fisherfolk groups become more reliable food commodity suppliers to customers, as well as the community-based organizations to sustainably operate their Kadiwa stores by providing them additional capital.
The following financial grant beneficiaries who received a total of P5,804,400.00 under the E-Kadiwa Financial grant are as follows:
- San Isidro Upland Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative – Santiago, Agusan del Norte – P400,000.00
- Kinabugawan Farmers Producers Cooperative (KIFAPCO) – Sta. Emelia, Veruela, Agusan del Sur – P1,500,000.00
- San Isidro Parish Binucayan Area Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (SIPBAFAMCO) – Binucayan, Loreto, Agusan del Sur – P1,500,000.00
- Claver Red Mountain Agriculture Cooperative (CREMACO) – Daywan, Claver, Surigao del Norte – P400,000.00
- Alipao Multipurpose Cooperative (ALMUCO) – Alipao, Alegria, Surigao del Norte – P611,400.00
- Trinidad Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (TARBECO) – Trinidad, Surigao City, Surigao del Norte – P993,000.00
- Ang Kahugpungan Alang sa Kalambuang Agraryo ARB Cooperative – Sta. Cruz, Loreto, Province of Dinagat Islands – P400,000.00
Beneficiaries can choose what type of grant is needed in their FCA. They can choose the Grant for Processing and Packaging Facilities; Grant for Market Logistics and Post-harvest; Grant for Kadiwa retail and distribution; and Grant for the establishment of Kadiwa store.
Regional Executive Director Engr. Ricardo M. Oñate, Jr said the mandate of the agency is to create an atmosphere that uplifts the cooperatives and associations but not at the expense of affecting the small-scale farmers and fisherfolk.
“Our goal here is to create a partnership so that no farmer will be left behind, that is why the programs of the DA, big or small programs, must always be congruent to the programs of each LGU,” RED Oñate added.
Farmer Director Christopher Lindo also said that the department has always been on its maximum effort of helping the FCAs in different ways they needed.
“Knowing that some of these FCAs reside in the hard to reach with no network coverage or mobile data connection places, it is a reflection that the agency and its workers go beyond what is mandated to them just to provide these farmers that interventions they deserved,” Lindo said.
One of the recipients of this year’s E-kadiwa is the Trinidad Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (TARBECO) from Surigao City, Agusan del Norte with 120 active members. Lilibeth Arce, its chairperson, said, the grant worth P993,000.00 will be used for storage and warehouse establishment.
“One of the problems that we faced in our group is the disposal of our products. Through this warehouse, we can store all of our products in one convenient place,” Arce said.
Robustiano Patayon, Jr., Chairperson of Ang Kahugpungan Alang sa Kalambuang Agraryo ARB Cooperative from Loreto, Dinagat Islands also said that their grant worth P400,000.00 will be used for procurement of transport and delivery vehicles.
“Transportation cost is really a problem in our group and by procuring delivery vehicles, our expenses will be lesser and expected that our product will reach the market easier and faster,” Patayon said.
RED Engr. Ricardo M. Oñate together with Farmer Director Christopher Lindo, RTD Rebecca Atega, AMAD Chief Lynn Pareñas, OIC-FOD Melody Guimary, Market Specialist Marilou Gruyal, and HVCDP Coordinator Marco Morido personally handed the checks and certificates to the seven beneficiaries. (Kent Warren H. Fugoso, Information Officer I, DA-Caraga)
