Since the Matulatula Agrarian Reform Community Cooperative’s (MARCCO) establishment in 1998, the organization has grown from solely being an auto-savings cooperative to a coop engaged in calamansi processing. This transition, motivated by the will to alleviate the lives of its members, was supported by the nature of the livelihood of its farmer members, along with the abundance of calamansi in the area.

The same driving force led MARCCO to seek assistance from PRDP, leading to the creation of the Oriental Mindoro Calamansi Processing and Marketing subproject (SP). This SP costs Php13.7 million and includes a processing facility, delivery truck, packaging materials, and equipment needed for calamansi processing. Currently, the cooperative produces calamansi and dalandan ready-to-drink juice, concentrate, and pure extract.

Emerging Benefits

A year after the completion of the said subproject, the Rapid Appraisal of Emerging Benefits conducted last August 22-24, 2023, showed the numerous advantages that the SP has brought to MARCCO’s 572 members.

Most notable among the list of benefits is the convenience that the facility has brought in the flow of goods. Farmer members shared that they used to sell their calamansi to warehouses in Divisoria. This practice entailed high hauling costs, and without assurance of profit during the peak season.

“Noong una ang kalamansi sa amin kapag season, pinagbabatuhan na lang sa kalsada ng mga bata. Noong nag-umpisa ang MARCCO ng pigaan, iba na. Nakakalaban na sa market. Dati dinadala sa Maynila, wala kaming kita… dahil may mga middleman, sumasadsad talaga [ang kita]. Dito hindi. Sa Maynila walang kasiguraduhan. I-door to door naming yung kalamansi tapos aantayin naming dumating yung tara. Dito diretso naming nakukuha yung pera,” recalled farmer member Omel Hidalgo.

(Before, during peak season, the kids would just throw around calamansi. This changed when MARCCO started the processing center. We’re able to compete in the market. We had little to no profit when the calamansi was brought to Manila… because of the middleman, the profit would really hit the gutter. That doesn’t happen here. Before we send the calamansi door-to-door, wait for the sales. Here we get the money directly.)

This was supported by fellow member Maribeth Malundras, who shared that their sales would come after at least three days.

“Bago dumating ang tara ay tatlong araw dahil sasakay pa ‘yon ng truck at barko. Hindi kagaya dito na kapag sinabi na kailangan nila ng kalamansi, pwede na dalhin sa hapon. Madali ang pera,” said Malundras.

(It takes three days for the sales to arrive because the calamansi must be delivered by truck and ship. Unlike here, we can provide calamansi in the afternoon if they say they need them today. The payment is immediate.)

Fruits of Calamansi

The income the Calamansi Processing Facility has provided its members has led to significant improvements in their lives.  This ranges from having an additional source of income, transitioning from calamansi picker to buyer, to being able to fund their children’s education.

“Ako’y trabahador din sa MARCCO. Gumagawa kami ng juice. Malaking pagbabago kasi hindi na kami nagmamano-mano. Maalwan na ang trabaho. Per bottle ang bayad sa amin. ‘Yung 500mL ay Php5 isa. Sa isang araw nakakagawa kami ng 560 bottles. Kami ay lima na gumagawa so paghahati-hatian pa,” stated member Gilbert Laso.

(I’m also a worker at MARCCO. We make juice. There’s a huge difference as we don’t have to work manually. Production is easier. We get paid per bottle, Php5 per 560mL bottle. In a day, five workers can make 560 bottles. We split that amount among us.)

“Marami nang pagbabago. Dati ako’y mamimitas ng calamansi. Ngayon di na ko namimitas. Nagmimili na lang ako at nagsu-supply sa coop,” member Nikandro Villamarin added.

(A lot has changed. Before, I just picked calamansi. Now, I’m the one who buys from pickers to provide supplies for the cooperative.)

“Nakapag-paaral ako ng anak ko na dito nanggagaling sa kinikita sa calamansi. Nakapag-savings kami ng paunti-unti. Malaking tulong,” member Maribeth Malundras proudly shared.

(I can send my kid to school using the money I earn from supplying calamansi. We’re able to slowly build up our savings. This is really a huge help.)

More Seeds to Sow

With the continuing success of MARCCO, Oriental Mindoro PPMIU I-REAP Head Orlando Ortiz said that they are looking into ways to support the cooperative’s expected growth.

“We want to coordinate with the proper agencies to know kung ano pa pwede gawin sa pinag-pigaan ng calamansi. Baka may pwedeng makuhang oil, baka pwedeng tuyuin, baka pwedeng gawings feeds, o fertilizer. Kapag lumaki ang production, mas madaming pipigain, mas madaming wastes. There must be something that could be done out of it productively,” said Ortiz.

[We want to coordinate with the proper agencies to know what we can do with calamansi wastes. Maybe there’s oil that could be extracted, or perhaps it could be dried or turned into feeds or fertilizer. When production increases, the waste will also increase. There must be something that could be done out of it, productively.)

Currently, MARCCO has opened a pasalubong outlet in Calapan City, which houses its MINDOREN-C products: Calamansi concentrate with ginger and honey, Calamansi Pure Extract, Calamansi Ready-to-Drink (RTD), Dalandan Concentrate, and Dalandan RTD. # (Danica A. Brutas, DA-PRDP MIMAROPA RPCO InfoACE Unit)