SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte – Coconut farmers in Surigao del Norte who will experience crop losses from typhoons and other natural causes will see a ray of light from the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP).  This optimism came after coconut farmers attended the information caravan conducted by ATI-RTC 13 at the EY Miners Restobar on September 20, 2022.

Roy Alamban of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) XIII said that coconut farmers can avail of the crop insurance program under CFIDP as long as they are NCFRS-registered. He clarified that the insurance is renewable annually and is applicable to coconuts aged one year old and above, intercrops, and livestock. Alamban also added that upon the death of the coconut farmer, its beneficiaries will receive a death benefit of Php 10,000. 

Aside from crop insurance, there were also concerns about organizing and sustaining cooperatives. Some farmers expressed hardships in sustaining cooperatives because of payments plus the negative attitude of some of its members. The Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) clarified that the agency is not a collecting office and therefore has never demanded exorbitant amounts from the cooperatives.  One farmer from Mainit stressed the importance of organizing farmers’ cooperatives and hinted that maybe the “payments” being mentioned by one cooperative is the financial audit which is an annual requirement and will cost a cooperative more than a thousand pesos as professional fee for its external auditor.

Joel Oclarit, Regional Manager III of PCA-Caraga, told the farmers about the importance of cooperatives and their advantages especially in availing of the many services and programs under CFIDP. He encouraged them to stay positive, to have patience and perseverance, and to organize themselves into cooperatives for their own benefit.

A total of 50 coconut farmers and agricultural extension workers (AEWs) attended the information caravan. They came from the mainland of Surigao del Norte namely: Surigao City, San Francisco, Malimono, Sison, Mainit, Placer, Bacuag, Alegria, Claver, Gigaquit