FLORA, Apayao – Farmers’ groups play a vital role in increasing the access of members to agricultural inputs, equipment, and other services to boost their productivity. Better prices for the farmer’s produce are also offered for bigger groups through collective marketing or consolidation.
This is the ultimate vision for the Malayugan Rice Granary Farmers Association (MRGFA), an assisted farmers’ group by the Department of Agriculture (DA), in barangay Malayugan, Flora, Apayao.
The group was first organized in 2009 but due to challenges primarily on road networks and transportation, the group became inactive but under the leadership of Oliver Duque, the group was revived in 2013 with 35 members. During this time, the High Yielding Technology Adoption (HYTA) Program was also introduced. This is a subsidized hybridization program of the DA for rice farmers that were coursed through organized farmers’ groups.
Following the counterparting scheme in implementing the HYTA, the association was able to earn sufficient funds which they used to buy a truck and tractor. Seeing their determination to improve and assist their members and the rice farming community in their area, the DA-CAR provided them with additional interventions, primarily transplanter, reaper, tractor, water pump, and closed van to hasten their production, harvesting, and marketing activities.
Seeing the benefits and services provided, more farmers joined the association reaching 252 members to date. Major services include the lending of low-priced fertilizers and other agricultural inputs and the rental of materials and equipment.
To level up their commitment to their farmer-members, the association also started the consolidation or collective marketing of agri-products in 2021 with priority given to their members. Primary products consolidated are palay or unhusked rice and corn.
The association buys agri-products at 10-15 centavos higher than the private traders that go around their community to buy products as well, which it then dries using the Circulating Dryer which was also provided by the DA-CAR.
The consolidation palay procurement activity spreads out not only in Malayugan but also in nearby barangays namely Mallig, Sta. Maria, Allig, and Balluyan. The estimated volume of palay sold to the association since it started its consolidation activity is 250 thousand tons, according to Edwin Joseph Franco, DA-CAR Regional Rice Coordinator.
Their major market is currently Amulog, Cagayan and they continuously look for additional big wholesale buyers in nearby Apayao province.
“The Malayugan Rice Granary Farmers Association has gone a long way as far as its development towards the clustering approach of the DA. In fact, that organization shows the capacity to improve and support its members as reflected by the outputs and good results from the DA interventions, particularly from the rice program,” said Mr. Franco.
Implementing the consolidation activity is but a learning in progress. The officers admitted they are learning along the way. At one point, they suffered a loss after consolidating corn due to its different grading specifications from rice which they are not familiar with back then.
However, they were able to bounce back from their loss through the profits gained from selling rice not only through their consolidation activity but also through participation in KADIWA events called for by the DA-CAR. Last year, the association joined the KADIWA event at the SM Baguio and in Mountain Province wherein they primarily sold rice, banana, and coconut.
Franco noted that after several years, the association has reached the level of completing the rice production chain. “We are on the right track of developing the organization to the extent that we follow one of the four key strategies of the DA which is from production to marketing.”
At present, the MRGFA is in the process of becoming a cooperative hoping to provide more services through capitalization to its farmer-members in the long run.
“Thank you ti Department of Agriculture kadagiti adu nga nait-ited nga projects ken ti anus yu nga mangtulong kadakami (Thank you to the Department of Agriculture for the interventions that you provided including your patience in assisting us),” said Duque. He looks forward to the continued support of the DA not only to them but to other farmers in need in the region. By JBAgrifino
