07nc-4930 Enhancing the Marketing Capacity of Corn and Sugar Farmers in the Philippines
| budget |
€ 365.091,60 |
status |
execution |
| start date |
01-07-2008 |
date end |
31-12-2009 |
| location |
Quezon City |
country |
philippines |
| financer |
Agriterra |
| executor |
National Confederation of Cooperatives |
intervention level |
national |
| Programmes |
| work area 11: Market & Chain Development | IFAP 10: Increase market power for farmers | |
| description |
 NATCCO is a multi-service national cooperative federation established in 1977 by the credit union pioneers in the Philippines. NATCCO was organized in response to the growing needs of the primary cooperative affiliates to coordinate the provision of training and educational services at the national level and to serve as the (...more...) |
| description |
NATCCO is a multi-service national cooperative federation established in 1977 by the credit union pioneers in the Philippines. NATCCO was organized in response to the growing needs of the primary cooperative affiliates to coordinate the provision of training and educational services at the national level and to serve as the voice of cooperatives belonging to the NATCCO Network.
NATCCO has formulated a new project proposal for het period 2007-2009 based on an external evaluation wich took place in 2006 and reviewed the progress of the 2004-2006 project and identified its strengths and weaknesses. The outcome was to focus on a reduction of the vulnerability of the corn and sugarcane farmers in the marketing of their products by enhancing their capacities to directly transact with market outlets and set fair prices.
Specific objectives are:
1. To improve the operational and financial sustainability of the marketing enterprises in Batangas and Bukidnon.
2. To improve the welfare of farmer-households and promote sustainable production practices
3. To raise public awareness and influence national policies on agricultural marketing
Indicators:
- A Manual of Business Operations is developed and formally adopted
- Increase in outreach by at least 150 new members each, of whom at least 1/3 are women
- Increased volume of marketed corn and sugar, and additional farm products
- Net Operating Incomes are sufficient to cover the salary costs of subsidized marketing personnel
- Increase in net farm incomes
- Development strategies are written
- Farm plans are prepared
- Household budgets and reproductive health are adopted
- Non-destructive farming practices are applied
- Favorable marketing policies and programs are adopted by relevant agencies (...less...) |
| results & observations |
This three-year project, which started in July 2008, has the objectives to: (a) improve the operational and financial sustainability of the marketing enterprises that have been previously organized; (b) improve the welfare of farmer-households and promote sustainable production practices; (c) raise public awareness and influence national policies on agricultural marketing; (...more...) |
| final results & observations |
This three-year project, which started in July 2008, has the objectives to: (a) improve the operational and financial sustainability of the marketing enterprises that have been previously organized; (b) improve the welfare of farmer-households and promote sustainable production practices; (c) raise public awareness and influence national policies on agricultural marketing; and (d) to increase men and women member-farmers’ awareness on gender issues and concerns. This project focuses on direct assistance to corn marketing in the province of Bukidnon – with the Bukidnon Marketing Cooperative Cluster (BMCC), and sugar marketing in the province of Batangas – with NAGKASAMA cooperative.
The corn marketing component started in the last three months of 2008 only. A baseline study was conducted on which further activities in the coming period were elaborated based on the outcome of this study.
The sugar marketing component started earlier in July and was devoted to systems installations and review of the business plan. Two market outlets were identified and negotiations are underway with partners willing to buy white sugar direct from NAGKASAMA. Trainings on value-based coop operations and good governance, enterprise development and a course in sustainable sugarcane production was conducted. An annual evaluation and planning of NAGKASAMA MPC was also conducted.
An internal quality control system (IQCS) for organic sugarcane production was discussed to ensure that farmers meet the stringent standard of organic certifiers. This covers the production, processing, packaging and delivery of the organic product. NAGKASAMA farmers will seek to be organically certified through the group certification of Organic Certification Council of the Philippines (OCCP).
Some experiences and challenges NATCCO identified in the first six months of project implementation:
• For sugar marketing, farmers are dependent on the rigid schedule of the sugar mill as to when to harvest the sugarcane. The farmers are forced to harvest the sugarcane even it it’s not yet time for its harvest. This often resulted in losses for the farmer. Sometimes the water content of the sugarcane is high and therefore the sugar content is low that leads to poor total sugar yield. Last cropping season most members of NAGKASAMA were affected which resulted to a low repayment rate of the cooperative’s production credit.
• Sugar is a mono-crop in Batangas. This can be traced on big landholdings in the area where the landowner dictates what crop to produce. For more than a century now this has been the practice and it is already instilled in the mind set of the farmers. Shifting to other crops for diversification is a big task.
• Unlike corn in Bukidnon where farmers own their land or if ever they have a landowner, they have more or less leeway to plant what crops they see are fitted and more profitable for the time being. This is the reason why it is easy for the corn farmers to shift to other crops like cassava. For that reason, crop clusters for cassava and vegetables will also be incorporated in the project.
(...less...) |
| specialisms |
| Market and chain development | |
PROPOSAL
| Agri-agency | Own contribution executor | Other parties | Total requested budget |
|---|
| Agriterra | NATCCO | | |
| € 0,00 + € 0,00 | € 0,00 | € 0,00 | € 187.500,00 |
The National Confederation of Cooperatives has received advice and financial support from Agriterra since 2001.
From 2004 untill 2006 two marketing enterprises have been organized in the project areas. The Bukidnon Multi-Purpose Co-op Cluster (BMCC) was formed among the corn farmers while the Nagkasama Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Nagkasama MPC) was established by the sugar farmers. These farmers’ co-operatives are envisioned to become the local sustainable organizations that will eventually assume the marketing activities under the project.
By end-2006, an external evaluation reviewed the progress of the project and identified its strengths and weaknesses. In general, the evaluation concluded that the project outcomes are leading towards the attainment of its development goal, and that the project objectives have so far been partly attained. Recognizing the long-term nature of the project goal and objectives, the evaluation recommended a programme approach covering at least two more project cycles and an immediately succeeding three-year project phase.
The evaluation found project strengths in the earlier-mentioned actual accomplishments on the marketing of corn and sugar, as well as in the manner of project execution in which several NGOs co-implemented the project activities. Project weaknesses were also cited in the aspects of low outreach, unstable business volumes, absence of an integrated development strategy, gaps on gender sensitivity and sustainable production, unclear welfare improvements, and still limited capacities for the self-sustainability of the marketing enterprises.
NATCCO has formulated a new project proposal for het period 2007-2009 based on the evalutation.
The project would like to reduce the vulnerability of the corn and sugarcane farmers in the marketing of their products by enhancing their capacities to directly transact with market outlets and set fair prices.
The expected results are:
- Increased number of market outlets
- Farmers benefit from price advantages
- At least half of the total produce of each farmer are sold through the marketing enterprises
The lead proponent of this project is NATCCO and the co-implementers are:
NATCCO Enterprise Development Center (NED Center), MASS-SPECC Cooperative Development Center (MASS-SPECC), Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in the Rural Areas (PhilDHRRA) and Center for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (CARRD)
This project will be executed in the provinces of Batangas and Bukidnon in the Philippines |
GOALS
| To reduce the vulnerability of the corn and sugarcane farmers in the marketing of their products by enhancing their capacities to directly transact with market outlets and set fair prices |
