To showcase the gains of the Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation (F2C2) Program in Bicol, the Department of Agriculture RFO 5 will stage a 3-day “1st Regional Cluster Summit and Cacao and Coconut Fair on December 1 to 3, 2023 at the Robinsons Mall in Naga City.

This is in collaboration with the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI-RTC 5) and the Department of Trade in Industry (DTI) Camarines Sur.

The DA Bicol F2C2 Program invited over 250 leaders of Farmers Cooperatives and Associations (FCAs) engaged in various commodities such as rice, corn, vegetables, pili, pineapple, and livestock and poultry, as well as cacao and coconut farmers, Provincial/Municipal Agriculturists and Provincial/Municipal commodity coordinators from all over Bicol Region for the summit.

Director Shandy M. Hubilla, Program Director of F2C2 from DA Central Office is expected to grace the event together with Edgardo Navaroza, Chairman of Camarines Sur Cacao Council and Roy Nelson Ramos, General Manager of Lagonoy Calamansi Farmers Agriculture Cooperative (LACAFA).

Aside from the plenary sessions, 24 FCA exhibitors invited by the DA will display various agricultural products for sale. Meanwhile, the DTI Camarines Sur has invited 11 exhibitors from FCAs, one from the academe and 29 entrepreneurs for the three-day exhibit.

A Training on Digital Marketing for F2C2 Clustered Farmers and AEWs will be conducted on the morning of the second day to be facilitated by the ATI. In the afternoon, Market Matching and Investment Opportunities will be presented by the DA-Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division.

Product demand and quality specifications and standards shall also be presented by key market players and institutional buyers in the region.

Farm clustering and consolidation is one of the key strategies of the Department of Agriculture to level up the Philippine agriculture sector. It aims to empower farming and fishing clusters all over the country through the preparation of the Cluster Development Plan (CDP), market facilitation and linkage, and capacity building and extension support through the different farmer cooperatives and associations. Convergence meetings with various government agencies and private sector are also being done to level-off updates, projects and programs for future interventions and support services for the clustered groups.

Clustered and consolidated farmers are priority in the distribution of DA interventions such as farm inputs, tools and farm equipment and machineries; installation of irrigation facilities; and establishment of post harvest and processing facilities.

According to Marilene Dimaculangan, F2C2 Regional Focal Person, some 26,335 hectares of agricultural areas in Bicol are already clustered under the F2C2 as of this writing . These comprises the 128 clusters established since 2020 benefitting 221 FCAs and 32,482 member-farmers. There are 25 rice clustered farms, 61 corn and cassava clustered farms, 31 High Value Crops clustered farms, and 11 livestock clustered farms. In Camarines Sur – 69 clusters were established, 12 in Camarines Norte, 21 in Albay, 9 in Sorsogon, 2 in Catanduanes and 20 in Masbate. (Lovella P. Guarin – RAFIS 5)

F2C2 summit, cacao & coconut fair to showcase farm clustering results in Bicol

To showcase the gains of the Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation (F2C2) Program in Bicol, the Department of Agriculture RFO 5 will stage a 3-day “1st Regional Cluster Summit and Cacao and Coconut Fair on December 1 to 3, 2023 at the Robinsons Mall in Naga City.

This is in collaboration with the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI-RTC 5) and the Department of Trade in Industry (DTI) Camarines Sur.

The DA Bicol F2C2 Program invited over 250 leaders of Farmers Cooperatives and Associations (FCAs) engaged in various commodities such as rice, corn, vegetables, pili, pineapple, and livestock and poultry, as well as cacao and coconut farmers, Provincial/Municipal Agriculturists and Provincial/Municipal commodity coordinators from all over Bicol Region for the summit.

Director Shandy M. Hubilla, Program Director of F2C2 from DA Central Office is expected to grace the event together with Edgardo Navaroza, Chairman of Camarines Sur Cacao Council and Roy Nelson Ramos, General Manager of Lagonoy Calamansi Farmers Agriculture Cooperative (LACAFA).

Aside from the plenary sessions, 24 FCA exhibitors invited by the DA will display various agricultural products for sale. Meanwhile, the DTI Camarines Sur has invited 11 exhibitors from FCAs, one from the academe and 29 entrepreneurs for the three-day exhibit.

A Training on Digital Marketing for F2C2 Clustered Farmers and AEWs will be conducted on the morning of the second day to be facilitated by the ATI. In the afternoon, Market Matching and Investment Opportunities will be presented by the DA-Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division.

Product demand and quality specifications and standards shall also be presented by key market players and institutional buyers in the region.

Farm clustering and consolidation is one of the key strategies of the Department of Agriculture to level up the Philippine agriculture sector. It aims to empower farming and fishing clusters all over the country through the preparation of the Cluster Development Plan (CDP), market facilitation and linkage, and capacity building and extension support through the different farmer cooperatives and associations. Convergence meetings with various government agencies and private sector are also being done to level-off updates, projects and programs for future interventions and support services for the clustered groups.

Clustered and consolidated farmers are priority in the distribution of DA interventions such as farm inputs, tools and farm equipment and machineries; installation of irrigation facilities; and establishment of post harvest and processing facilities.

According to Marilene Dimaculangan, F2C2 Regional Focal Person, some 26,335 hectares of agricultural areas in Bicol are already clustered under the F2C2 as of this writing . These comprises the 128 clusters established since 2020 benefitting 221 FCAs and 32,482 member-farmers. There are 25 rice clustered farms, 61 corn and cassava clustered farms, 31 High Value Crops clustered farms, and 11 livestock clustered farms. In Camarines Sur – 69 clusters were established, 12 in Camarines Norte, 21 in Albay, 9 in Sorsogon, 2 in Catanduanes and 20 in Masbate. (Lovella P. Guarin – RAFIS 5)