COOPERATIVES in Benguet are being rallied to pool their resources to create a single marketing arm for vegetables.

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Provincial Government is conducting massive information and education campaign (IEC) among the cooperatives in the province, so a federation could be formed which will be in charge of marketing the products of vegetable growers.

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The federation of cooperatives will be managing the marketing facility, being proposed by the DAR, which is part of the agency’s Agrarian Reform Infrastructure Support Program (Arisp), said Provincial Cooperative Development Officer Lilia Koh.

Establishment of an Agrarian Information and Marketing Center (AIM-C) is one of the components of the Arisp program.

The facility would serve as the centralized marketing system for vegetables, which Koh said would help stabilize vegetable prices.

The center would also purchase fertilizers in bulk so farmers could buy at a much cheaper cost, she said.

Aside from serving as the market outlet of vegetables coming from the farms, the AIM-C will also provide other services, such as market information, agricultural extension and financial services, among its members.

A federation needs a capital of at least P300,000. Benguet has 240 active cooperatives which the DAR and the Provincial Government want to be formulated into a federation.

The first batch of the IEC was done among the cooperatives in Bokod, Itogon, La Trinidad, Kabayan, Sablan, and Tuba. Other towns would be oriented next week.