The Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office (DA RFO) 10 and the Lantapan Vegetable Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative formulated and agreed on a marketing strategy to help local farmers broaden their market and generate more income.
The Lantapan Vegetable Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative is a recipient of a hauling truck through the Enhanced KADIWA Grant capacitating cooperative.
In a statement, DA RFO 10 Executive Director Carlene Collado stated that the two institutions were considering the adoption of the Cooperative’s existing agreement with Agri Global Ventures, Inc., which can offer better market prices and higher profit to the vegetable farmers in the area.
He also reiterated the RFO’s commitment to deliver “logistics support and facilities through its Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita to the local government units, farmer cooperatives, and associations,” including the Lantapan municipal government.
Director Collado added that farmer cooperatives and associations are encouraged to coordinate with the Municipal Agricultural Office and the DA-10, as well as to participate in the offices’ programs and projects that enhance capacity-building and market linkage.
As per the AMAD’s investigation, a Lantapan farmer initially tried to sell 56 boxes of tomatoes (about 1,400 kilograms) to a public market in Cagayan de Oro City. However, the value of the produce decreased as they had already ripened, forcing the farmer to dump them.
In the latter half of 2020, Region 10 (Northern Mindanao Region) produced 34,861 metric tons (MT) of tomatoes, contributing 11.7% to the country’s total tomato production of 53,521 MT, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)’s Highlights of Selected Major Crops Production in Northern Mindanao.
The DA continuous to work with farmer cooperatives and local government units (LGUs) to assist farmers thru market linkage and post-harvest facilities to minimize loses.
As a solution, the DA approved in June 2020 the establishment of a P20 M food processing facility in La Trinidad, Benguet to encourage value-adding of harvests and to prevent losses.
DA’s proposed long term solution to prevent this situation, is the establishment of Trading Centers in Region X. The Trading Centers will serve as a venue for farmers’ to directly sell their products directly to vendors and traders as a reliable and stable venue for procuring quality produce at the best value.
Currently, with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. as the newly-installed Agriculture Secretary, the Department has been directed to attain food availability, affordability, safety, and security in the Philippines by rebuilding the food value chain and enhancing local food production. # # # (Krystelle Ymari A. Vergara, DA-AFID)
