To help farmers’ cooperatives enhance their agribusiness operation, the Department of Agriculture-Caraga through the Enhanced Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita turned over financial grants to two agri-coop last March 21, 2022.

Recipients of the said grant were Kipundao Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (KISFAMCO) of Barangay Sangay, Buenavista, Agusan del Norte and Piglawigan ISAPA Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative of Barangay Piglawigan, Esperanza, Agusan del Sur.

Engr. Ricardo M. Oñate, Jr., Regional Executive Director of DA-Caraga handed over the check amounting to P650,000.00 pesos to each of the two recipients.

Also present during the turned-over is Ms. Lynn Asero Pareñas, chief of the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) who leads the implementation of the KADIWA program in the region.

Pareñas said that the DA’s Enhanced Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita Grant for the agricultural cooperative is purposely to fund Kadiwa Food Supply businesses in the respective communities they operate.

Officers of KISFAMCO and ISAPA expressed their gratitude to DA-Caraga for the support they received from the program as it will greatly help their agribusiness operations.

“With the financial grant we just received from DA-Caraga, we are planning to purchase a vehicle to transport our products and supplies,” said Julieto Merabona, ISAPA coop chairperson.

The said cooperative has been engaged in tilapia production, consumer goods, and solar drier operation.

Director Oñate, Jr., appealed to the recipients to utilize the financial grant as intended to help develop their agribusiness operation emphasizing the importance of zealous cooperation among coop members and officers to attain the desired outcome.

Under the OneDA Reform Agenda, cooperative development has been identified as one of the strategies to attain a food-secure and resilient Philippines with empowered and prosperous farmers and fisherfolk. (Aurelius P. Arais/DA-Caraga).