In 2016, the Conconig East Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative proposed for a Php2.3-million Integrated Quality Peanut Seed Production and Farm Service Enterprise, a micro enterprise under the Investments on Rural Enterprises for Agri-Fishery Productivity (I-REAP) Component. However, when the members saw the list of requirements, they wanted to quit.

“When we first heard of the PRDP and learned its process, we were reluctant to continue because we thought that we cannot comply with all the requirements. (Noong una naming narinig iyong PRDP at ‘yong proseso [ng I-REAP], ayaw na naming sumali. Tingin kasi namin hindi namin kayang i-comply ‘yong mga sinasabi nila.)” This is what Ms. Delia V. Evangelista, Chairman of the Conconig East Farmers MPC in Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur said in an interview with the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).

However, with the encouragement and support of the Regional Project Coordination Office 1 (RPCO 1) and Provincial Government of Ilocos Sur, the Cooperative continued with the proposal and succeeded in complying with all the requirements. The proposal was issued a No Objection Letter 1 (NOL 1) on May 18, 2017.

Similar to the rest of cooperatives in the country, the Conconig East Multi-Purpose Cooperative started small. The Cooperative registered with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) in 1991 with only 19 members. It was assisted by the Landbank under its Integrated Rural Financing program where the Cooperative borrowed Php100,000 as initial capital. The Cooperative used this money to finance agricultural production loans of its farmer members and put up a small grocery.

The Conconig East Farmers MPC also struggled during its early years. “Most of the money we loaned from the Landbank was also lent to farmers, although we used a portion of the money to put up a small grocery. (Karamihan doon sa pera mula sa Landbank, pinautang namin sa mga magsasaka dito sa amin. Iyong iba ginamit namin para magtayo ng maliit na grocery),” Ms. Evangelista narrated. “Most of the farmers to whom we lent the money did not pay or had gone bankrupt. The money we borrowed from Landbank was lost. (Karamihan ng mga pinautang namin na mga magsasaka, hindi nakapagbayad o kaya nalugi. Naglaho iyong perang inutang naming sa Landbank.),” the Cooperative’s Treasurer, Ms. Pelagia Fernandez added.

However, the Cooperative persisted through the years. They continued inviting farmers to join the Cooperative who opened Savings Deposit Accounts. “Aside from the loan, Landbank taught us how to put up Savings Deposit Account for our members. On the first day that we went around to invite depositors, Php 50,000 was deposited as savings in our Cooperative. (Bukod doon sa inutang namin na pera, tinuruan kami ng Landbank na mag-imbita ng magdedeposit sa Coop namin. Doon sa unang araw na nag-ikot kami, mayroong P50,000 na nadeposit sa amin.)”

In 2006, fifteen years after it was organized, the Conconig East Multi-Purpose Cooperative became financially stable with considerable amount of depositors. It stopped borrowing money from the Landbank, after paying all its previous loans. In effect, the Landbank released the guarantee for the loan financed under the APTC, a government project financed thru the Department of Agriculture.

The Cooperative used the guarantee money to build a two-storey building at Barangay Conconig East, Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur. The building now serves as the Cooperative’s main office. The lot where the building was built is one of the first acquisitions of the Cooperative. The land was bought at Php 40,000 in the early 1990s.

On November 24, 2017, the Conconig East MPC received one (1) four-wheel tractor with complete accessories, two (2) tricabs, 90 units of plastic drums, and 2,500 pieces of sacks from the PRDP and the Provincial Local Government of Ilocos Sur. The Project was not able to award the 360 bags of Ilocos Red Variety peanut seeds and other fertilizers due to procurement issues. However, the Cooperative did not lose heart and invested its own funds to pursue the first cycle of the enterprise.

Today, the Cooperative’s proactive initiative and efforts have brought profitable results. The enterprise proposal targeted to sell 360 bags of Ilocos Red Variety peanut seeds to the Cooperative’s members and non-members in the Municipality of Sta. Lucia. The Cooperative far exceeded this target. Instead of just 360 bags, they sold a total of 475 bags of dried peanut seeds and 117 bags of fresh peanut seeds.

“When they learned that the seeds were sourced from Bacnotan and from the farmers in our Municipality, the more they wanted to avail. Also, when the farmers in the nearby area heard of the discount given to the members of the Cooperative in using the four-wheel tractor, more farmers wanted to join the Cooperative as members. (Noong nalaman nila na galing sa Bacnotan at dito mismo sa amin ‘yong mga buto, mas kaykayat da. Tapos narinig nila na mas mura ang renta ng tractor ng mga miyembro, marami sa kanila gusto na ring mag miyembro.)” Ms. Evangelista recounted her experience when persuading farmers to buy peanut seeds from the Cooperative.

The Conconig East MPC now anticipates the award of the 360 bags of Ilocos Red Variety peanut seeds. It will also participate in the monitoring activities of the Project in the succeeding months.

Looking back at the time when they were about to quit, Ms. Evangelista said while laughing, “It’s a good thing we did not quit. (Buti na lang hindi kami sumuko.).”  The Cooperative’s experience attests to the adage, “Success is like a lightning bolt. It’ll strike you when you least expect it, and you just have to keep the momentum going.” ### Vida V. Cacal and Dessa U. Estrada, RPCO 1 InfoACE