To boost the production of processed banana byproducts, members of the Agape Multi-Purpose Cooperative based in Barangay Agape, Loboc, Bohol recently received a processing facility from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
The group has 105 members and they are currently producing banana chips, which are being sold through the floating restaurants cruising the Loboc River, a popular ecotourism activity in Bohol.
The group is currently seeking Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for their product, an important step in the commercialization of food products and byproducts.
A joint project of DAR under the Village Level Farm-Focused Enterprise Development (VILFED) and the Department of Trade and Industry, Cooperative Development Authority, and the local government of Loboc, the construction of the P450,000 processing facility aims to further develop the group’s products.
Ronald Pumatong, DAR Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer, said the project is in line with Secretary Conrado Estrella III’s directive to develop quality food products produced by farmers themselves, and help them penetrate and compete in the commercial markets.
“The project aims to develop and strengthen the agri-enterprises of the farmers’ organization and its members to enable them to sustain the productivity of the lands awarded to them by the government,” Pumatong said in a news statement.
He explained that establishing farm-focused community enterprises promotes value-adding activities to the major and secondary crops of the farmers.
“This allows the participation of other community members in the livelihood activities within the value chain and increases their household income,” Pumatong said.
The DAR’s VLFED project focuses on capacitating the agrarian reform beneficiaries to improve their product development and enhance the skills of the farmers in managing their cooperatives.