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Archives
April 1-15, 2000
Fishermen empowerment through coops
development
by Thea Kristina M. Pabuayon
To empower the country's small fishermen,
the Agricultural Credit and Cooperatives Institute (ACCI)
of UPLB and the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR)
embarked on a two-year Fishery Cooperatives Development
Research Program (FCDRP).
Specifically, the project aims to "assess
the current status and financial conditions of fishery
coops in the Philippines, and gather additional information
critical to the design and implementation of an effective
fishery coops development program for the country."
This would entail research and identification of the
fishery cooperatives' directory for local and national
planning purposes, fishery coops' capital formation
process, linkages, training needs, policy recommendations,
and exploring the possibility of establishing a national
fishery coops network.
The preliminary results of the project
were revealed by Dr. Leandro Rola of ACCI in a seminar
held on 7 April 2000 in BAR. Representatives of DA Attached
Agencies and Staff Bureaus, the private sector, and
fishery cooperatives attended the event.
According to Dr. Leandro Rola, fishery
cooperatives lack in government support in the past
years. Unlike other sectors such as small farmers, transport,
market vendors, consumers, and credit, the fishery coops
"were not provided systematic and continuing education
and training, sustained financing, skills/capability
building or marketing/processing assistance programs."
As a result, there is not enough data and information
on the current situation of our fishery coops, specifically
on the present socio-economic conditions, nature of
businesses, and conditions/knowledge of the members
of the cooperatives. These factors hampered the drafting
of effective and appropriate government programs that
should develop and strengthen the coops.
To render government programs more effective
in empowering the coops, focus should be on facility
provision and technology enforcement. These involve
tapping other fishing activities - such as deep-sea
fishing, transport system, and tax-free gasoline and
oil importation - as potential sources of funds. Moreover,
comparison of data between existing and defunct coops
is crucial in drafting effective policies and programs.
This data would guide future government interventions.
Loan assistance/ lending programs should
be left to the private sector. Research results indicate
that majority of the existing fishery cooperatives do
not extend loans. Serious problems on credit collection
seem nonexistent because members acquire credit from
their own funds or from grants. This is a clear indication
that government intervention in credit programs should
be reduced to a minimum.
A national network for fishery cooperatives
was proposed to handle the efficient evaluation and
monitoring of projects. Loan assistance would be handled
by various financing institutions such as LBP, DBP,
and ACPC.
Other areas that need attention is the
education and training of coop members on the philosophies,
principles and practices of cooperativism, cooperative
business management, and orientation on the provisions
of the country's cooperative laws. 
April 1-15 2000 Articles: ::
2001 budget proposals for R&D reviewed
::
Corn sector: strategies towards global competitiveness
::
Fishermen empowerment through coops development
::
Pest management info database now accessible
::
Public info campaign on GMOs launched
::
The call to improve fertility of acidic soil
::: More April 2000 articles :::
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