DA-PRDP RPCO 4B Gathers Data on Marinduque Swine PG, To Serve as Basis for Success Indicators
The Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) MIMAROPA conducted a Proponent Group (PG) Profiling of the Farm Operators of the Marinduque Multi-Purpose Cooperative (FOMMCO) in Sta. Cruz, Marinduque on March 23, 2022.
PG Profiling is a data gathering activity that aims to collect baseline demographic and economic information from the PG. This data set will be used as a point of comparison during and after project implementation, to measure the success of the project.
Using a survey method, members of the RPCO MIMAROPA interviewed more than 30 members of the organization to get their demographic profile and economic data. This includes the size and ownership of farming land, and the inputs and outputs in hog raising.
FOMMCO is the PG of the “Marinduque Swine Meat Processing ” subproject, approved by the Regional Project Advisory Board in December 2021, with a total cost of PhP14.7 million.
This is the first DA-PRDP subproject in Marinduque to focus on swine as a commodity. Concurrently, this is also FOMMCO’s first time to venture into a social enterprise. When asked about how the cooperative decided to go on this venture, FOMMCO General Manager Venchito Murillo shared that they chose which business will help their members the most.
“Unang-una, tiningnan namin ‘yung aming mga magiging beneficiary, ‘yung mga kasapi namin, kung ilang porsyento ba ng mga kasapi namin ang pwede namin maging kaakibat dito sa proyekto. Marami kaming mga kasapi na hog raiser talaga. Isa sa problema dito ay presyo ng hogs. Kung tutuusin, kayang mag-supply ng aming farmer members ng volume ng baboy, ang problema, pag madami na yung production, bina-barat sila sa presyo ng mga mamimili. Ito na ‘yung pagkakataon nila [ng members] na mag-production nang hindi nalulugi,” Murillo said.
When asked how they foresee their cooperative growing now that they are expanding from lending to meat processing, FOMMMCO Treasurer Leonila Regio said that they expect to generate more livelihood for members and non-members alike.
“Sa ngayon, unang-una, mahirap-hirap. Pero ngayon na magkakaron ng meat processing, magiging maayos at matutulungan namin yung iba pang mga miyembro at yung iba pang gustong maging miyembro. Kasi syempre magkakaron ng meat processing, marami kaming matutulungan na mga kababayan natin, mga kabarangay, lalo na yung mga walang hanapbuhay,” shared Regio. (Danica A. Brutas, DA-PRDP MIMAROPA RPCO InfoACE Unit)
