PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — Farmers in the upland and interior villages of Palawan province should form themselves into associations or cooperatives to gain access to government loan and credit services.
Department of Agriculture 4B (Mimaropa) Director Antonio Gerundio said in an interview Friday that organizing themselves would make it easier for farmers to deal with traders and buyers of their farm produce.
“We have a lot of programs for our farmers that do not reach them simply because they have not formed themselves into cooperatives, especially those living in distantly-located barangays,” he said.
Gerundio said government support for farmers is designed to help them become productive through formal associations and cooperatives.
Forming coops can help reduce the cost of acquiring inputs or availing of services, such as storage and transport, and also enables farmers to improve product and service quality and reduce risks, he said.
“Government assistance is coursed through farmers’ coops. If they are not organized, government services will have a hard time reaching them individually,” Gerundio said.
He observed that in far-flung villages, many farmers are forced to sell their products at very low prices, particularly perishable crops, such as fruits and vegetables.
“Mabuti kung hindi highly perishable ang products, tulad ng kasoy. Pero ang mga gulay ay mga perishable yan. Kailangan talaga na mag-organisa sila (It’s okay if their produce are not highly perishable, like cashew nuts. But vegetables, they’re perishable. They have to organize),” Gerundio said.
He added that an organized group is in a better position to deal with traders, business partners, and institutions.
Gerundio said that some of the organized farmer groups in Palawan are supplying vegetables and rice to high-end hotels and resorts in El Nido town.
The agriculture department, he said, can easily provide any intervention to farmers’ associations or cooperatives.
He said that aside from the inputs, fertilizers, provision of mechanized farm equipment and implements, and technical assistance, the department is focusing on the provision of credit facility and loan to farmers, such as the Production Loan Easy Access, which is administered by the Agricultural Credit Policy Council. (PNA)
