IN PHOTOS | Department of Agriculture – Central Visayas (DA-7) Regional Executive Director Angel C. Enriquez attended today, April 18, 2024 the 1st Leaders Forum and 6th General Assembly of the AgriCOOPh held at Elizabeth Hotel, Cebu City, Cebu, with the theme “Creating pathways for social protection, economic inclusion and ecological preservation”.

Director Enriquez was representing Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. and the regional office.

In her message, before delivering the speech of the Secretary, she shared, an organized farmers’ groups such as AgriCOOPh play a vital role in the agriculture sector and has the edge of the projects and programs from the Department.

“We have programs and we want to organize all the small farmers through a strategy called farm clustering and consolidation. If they (small farmers) are group together, there is really strength, and you (farmers’ group) will then be a priority in terms of grants and interventions from the government”, RED Enriquez said.

Director Enriquez, then delivered the message of the Agriculture Secretary, which highlights the theme of the forum and assembly. The DA, can be the bridge of their chosen theme, through the various agri-fishery interventions and assistance ranging from production, postharvest processing to marketing assistance. The DA Chief also encouraged to propose projects and programs that could benefit the farming and fishing communities, preferably on commodities with competitive advantage.

The AgriCOOPh is a national federation of agri-fishery-forestry cooperatives whose members are small-scale family farmers.

Attending the event were the member-cooperatives of the federation from all over the country, selected government agencies such as the Cooperative Development Authority, Department of Agriculture, Department of Science and Technology and other key stakeholders.