A DAVAO City Councilor urged farmer's cooperatives to seek accreditation to access loans from the local government unit (LGU) of Davao.
Councilor Jonard C. Dayap, chairperson of the Cooperative and Future Generations, during the Aprobado sa Konseho media forum at the Sangguniang Panlungsod on Tuesday morning, April 23, 2024, said, “Naa man gyud kasagaran diri sa Davao cooperative sila pero dili sila member sa city cooperative so mao na atoang challenges karun, mao na atoang gina-try nga ma-solve kay naa man gyud uban na wala gyud sila kabalo (There are cooperatives here in Davao that are not members of the city cooperative, so that is one of our challenges here; we are trying to solve this because some of them do not know)," he said.
Dayap highlighted the challenge of some cooperatives not being members of the city cooperative, hindering their access to assistance. While membership isn't mandatory, it facilitates support from the LGU.
He underscored the necessity of accreditation for accessing livelihood or financial aid from the LGU, stressing its significance for farmer cooperatives.
Currently, there are approximately 700 active cooperatives in the city, with 30 percent being farmers' cooperatives. In 2023 alone, 37 new farmer cooperatives were registered.
He underscored the benefits of accreditation, citing recent loan assistance worth P5,300,000 provided to 13 farmers.
He also mentioned plans to support farmers affected by the El Niño phenomenon, clarifying that only cooperatives are eligible for loans and cash assistance.
Dayap added that under his committee, they also accredited non-government organizations (NGOs), a federation of fisherfolks, and a women’s association. RGP