Co-op turns cassava farming into lucrative undertaking

From cassava to cash, That is the noble purpose of a rising multi-purpose cooperative right here as it seeks to improve productivity of its members who're mostly cassava farmers.

Cassava is likely one in all the main plants that thrive effectively in this town, however farmers don't earn a lot as it's highly perishable and postharvest losses were very high.

 Merchants also come into play, which often purchase farmers produce into less expensive value leaving farmers brief modification with their profit.

“The San Jose Multi-objective Cooperative (SJMPC) used to be organized to handle the necessity for better pricing and on the identical time works for equivalent good thing about cassava farmers,” mentioned SJMPC supervisor Abraham Oso.

 “The cooperative offers quite a few advantages to cassava farmers. Except for providing them access to financing, they can have patronage refund and annually dividend,” Oso said.

The rising demand for cassava in feed method offered wider opportunities to farmers as private processors provided three way partnership for the cooperative to supply them with merchandise for animal feeds.

Cassava have been considered as wealthy in carbohydrates and protein making a doable supply for animal feeds. Cassava roots are processed into chips and pellets kinds as major substances in formulating animal feeds.

“Though the provide would be a giant boost to our cooperative in addition to to cassava farmers, loss of adequate post harvest facility constrained our capability to keep up with the quality and quantity necessities,” Oso said.

 “Feed processors solely purchase excellent quality chips with a moisture content material of no more than 14 percent. Contemporary cassava roots include kind of 65 p.c water and eradicating this is able to require loads of time and effort. This makes drying essential in meeting the quality required by the consumers,” he stressed.

“Time is one other essential worry due to the fact cassava is a perishable crop and need to be processed within 48 hours after harvest to avoid spoilage. Manual chipping alone might take a selection of time and energy. So except for drying facility we additionally want chipping machine and other tools to reinforce our product but it includes huge capital investment,” he said.

Into the massive ticket
Co-op turns cassava farming into lucrative enterprise

THEIR alternative got here while the Mindanao Rural Development Application (MRDP) improved the protection of its livelihood portfolio from to P250, 000 to a maximum of P5 million. The MRDP is a particular undertaking under the Department of Agriculture jointly funded by way of the Global Bank, the nationwide and native government units.

Via MRDP’s Group Fund for Agricultural Improvement (CFAD) massive -ticket tasks, the SJMPC used to be able to access P3.5 million for his or her proposed Upgrading of Cassava Postharvest Facility project.

The stated amount was used to purchase postharvest services resembling flatbed dryer, chipper, and granulator. Photo voltaic dryer and processing heart was additionally dependent together with needed logistical support akin to motorcycle cab for hauling of cassava roots in distant spaces and the truck scale, which helps handy and faster scaling of supply uncooked materials.

“The assistance we now have availed ourselves of from MRDP has stepped forward the efficiency of our cooperative especially in enhancing the quality and reliability of our merchandise,” Oso said, adding “It has boosted our trust to fulfill the desired high quality and quantity of our cassava chips and pellets products paving the greatest way for our cooperative to forge a advertising and marketing settlement with San Miguel Corp. (SMC), one of the nation’s leading animal feeds processors.”

The SMC processing plant in Gen. Santos City required the SJMPC to provide them at the least 1,500 heaps of cassava chips and pellets for one year. While earlier than they might infrequently meet the stated volume, the postharvest facility has enabled their cooperative to produce SMC in simply within six months.

“SMC has again given us another purchase order of the amount for the second one half of this year,” Oso said.

The advertising alternative provided via SMC didn't only boost the cooperative’s financial standing it has also progressed the earnings of cassava farmers because it confident them of a ready market for their produce.