Agrarian reform beneficiary in Oroquieta City enhances skills

Tuyabang Alto Agrarian Reform Cooperative (TAARCO) produces coco coir, nito, and bagon handicrafts and processes herbal blends.

An agrarian reform beneficiary organization (ARBO) in Oroquieta City prepares to penetrate a larger market by enhancing the entrepreneurial skills of its members through business counseling for product development and improvement of packaging and labeling.

A recipient of the Village Level Farm-focused Enterprise Development (VLFED) and Convergence on Livelihood Assistance for Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) Project (CLAAP) programs run by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Tuyabang Alto Agrarian Reform Cooperative (TAARCO) currently has 183 members.

"I'm grateful for the sacrifices made by everyone who supports the organization, from the employees to management. They gave us new information and insight on how to manage our cooperative and keep it afloat. We are now prepared to embark on larger markets and new levels of opportunities,” Ann Gabi, cooperative member and daughter of TAARCO Manager Rodioso Gabi said.

The cooperative produces coco coir, nito, and bagon handicrafts and processes herbal blends. It also offers a butcher service; trade in rice, copra, and consumer goods, and production of goat milk.

It was granted by the National Dairy Authority with imported goats breed which are the sources of the produced milk it sells in the local market.

In 2021, TAARCO was assisted by the Department of Trade and Industry Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (DTI CARP) through the Shared Service Facilities (SSF) program to relieve the cooperative's burden of having to travel downtown just to grind its raw materials and cut travelling costs.

The SSF project was intended to provide the cooperative with a set of machines to be used for processing their herbal blend products and to address issues on product quality brought on by uneven roasting, leading to subpar results.

Skills building and business management training were additionally provided by DTI CARP to continue strengthening the members' entrepreneurial capacities. Through the additional training, members were taught to be better equipped in managing the many enterprises of the cooperative, including its consumer store, copra trading business, pig butchery, microfinance organization, and new dairy processing venture.

TAARCO continues as it recently received a processing machinery and equipment for Malunggay-Corn Blend, one of the viable products under the new Agri-Enterprise Development, and business counseling and services for product development and packaging and labeling improvement. (DTI-MisOcc/PIA-10)