“There’s already a big motivation now to produce more,” said Zaldy Gabato, Chairman of Kinabugawan Farmers Producers Cooperative (KIFAPCO), after the turnover of the Banana Production and Trading facility funded by the Department of Agriculture Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) in Caraga Region worth P928,595.

DA-PRDP has given support to the microenterprise with an objective to provide an opportunity for KIFAPCO to expand its economic activities on buying and selling bananas.

“This will surely support the coop members and all other banana growers in this area,” Gabato said. The trading facility stands as the buyer for the growers’ produce since the cooperative will be the one to consolidate and market them.

A total of 179 banana growers in Barangay Sta. Emelia, of which 73 are KIFAPCO members directly benefit from the project.

The project is an enhancement of the existing banana trading business of the cooperative. It will procure newly harvested banana which includes Latundan, Lakatan, and Cardava.

Members of the cooperative are also assured to get a better price and a provision of 5% increase in income from the cooperative’s share.

DA-PRDP has supported the farmers’ group through the establishment of 2 hectares of banana and materials for farm inputs, providing a weighing scale and a buying station, plus a working capital for banana trading.

“We deeply appreciate this initiative of strengthening our cooperative. This is a way of encouraging them to be productive farmers and businessmen,” said Mayor Myrna Mondejar.

The Investments in Rural Enterprises and Agriculture and Fisheries Productivity (I-REAP) of DA-PRDP continues to strengthen the farmers’ cooperative by providing technical support, market linkages, and financial assistance for agri-fishery productivity.

To date, around 37 subprojects comprising both the Infrastructure and Enterprise component are already funded by DA-PRDP in Caraga Region since the start of its conception in 2014.  This gained a total budgetary allocation of P1.5 Billion.  (Fretcher Magatao/ InfoACE 13