North Cot Farmer Coop receives P6.3-M hauling, delivery vehicles

Date Published: October 23, 2020

The Household Multi Purpose Cooperative (HMPC) received a one (1) unit hauling truck worth P2.59 million and a one (1) unit delivery truck (6-Tonner Closed van) worth P3.72 million from the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project in Antipas, North Cotabato.

The turn-over activity was conducted during the municipality’s 39th founding anniversary. Present during the ribbon cutting ceremony were representatives from DA 12 led by Regional Executive Director Arlan Mangelen & FOD Chief Zaldy Boloron, PRDP PSO personnel led by Deputy Project Director Noel Provido and I-REAP head Ronnie Yulo, and municipal government officials led by Vice Mayor Cristobal D. Cadungon. Receiving the two trucks for HMPC were CEO Reynold S. Alejo & Chairman Elpidio Neil Porras III.

The two delivery vehicles are part of the package of the ongoing enterprise subproject on Cacao Dried Beans Production and Marketing under the IREAP component of DA-PRDP worth P15 million.

According to HMPC Chief Executive Officer Reynaldo Alejo, one of the problems they encountered when they started producing cacao beans was the lack of vehicle for transporting their product to their buyers, and their farmer members also shoulder the expenses in delivering their beans to the cooperative.

“The trucks that we received will really aid us in trucking our cacao beans. HMPC will now collect by clusters all the beans of our members and we will be the one to go to their farms so they don’t need to pay anything for transportation,” said Alejo.

The delivery truck will be used in delivering their beans to its buyer which is the Kennemer Foods International.

“The Cooperative can now deliver more beans to Kennemer because this hauling truck from PRDP can carry large volume of cacao beans and we can cut in our expenses for transporting our cacao,” added Alejo.

Aside from the trucks, there is also an ongoing construction of storage facility which is still part of the PRDP Project. Once completed, HMPC is eyeing on increasing the volume of their production.

“When we start buying in 2018 our production volume is at 14 tons a year, when PRDP arrived, last year we had 70 tons, and probably this year we will hit 100 tons… that’s why we really need a storage facility,” the farmer leader said.

In his message, Regional Executive Director Arlan Mangelen emphasized the importance of marketing aspect of the subproject because this has been one of the problems that farmers usually encountered when having high yield.

“The PRDP subproject will help the (cacao) farmers here in Antipas to resonate with the slogan Masaganang Ani at Mataas na Kita of our secretary,” Director Mangelen said.

Once completed, HMPC with the support of different line agencies including DA-PRDP will improve the marketing side of their undertaking and be of help in the realization of the battle cry of the secretary. (With reports from RPCO12 / JOY MONTECALVO| PSO Min)

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