MMPC livelihood project takes off

 A poultry house is taking shape in San Martin.

 The MMPC will fund the feed input of the project.

A group of village women will soon have their regular source of income, thanks to the co-op livelihood projects for the marginalized members of the community. - All pictures courtesy of ELSIE DIMAUNAHAN

By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ

THE livelihood program of the Mambulao Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MMPC) has taken off to a good start with a number of small-loan releases to qualified recipients.

Funded by the Mambulao local government with at least Php90,000 and another Php40,000 from the money raised by MWBuzz from overseas donors, the small-income generating projects included the first successful tilapia fish-cage venture in Larap, small sari-sari store, poultry and piggery projects, the kariton pang-kabuhayan rolling store and the pinyahan farm in three baranggays.

MMPC operations manager Elsie Dimaunahan said the co-op’s project has been getting full support from the LGU, with Mayor Ricarte “Dong” Padilla closely coordinating with the co-op management on what possible projects to support.

Dimaunahan told MWBuzz that those who wanted to start an income generating project have been advised to see the mayor to explain to him his proposed project.

Padilla, after determining that project’s feasibility, would endorse the applicants to MMPC, who will then screen them to find out how they are going to repay the capital that the co-op would extend them.

A project analyst from the livelihood unit of the LGU will supervise the setting up of such project and to advise the recipient on the better way to carry out his venture.

The co-op has also set up a monitoring committee to track the progress of each project and to advise if the recipients are not operating as they should.

To date, Dimaunahan  said the kariton project (with a funding of Php40,000) has an initial four recipients, with each one receiving P2,000 soft loan.

Of the recipients, two have already paid back their loans, while the two others are soon to complete their payment.

On the sari-sari store project, seven beneficiaries operating small stores in their baranggays have obtained goods from the co-op.

Dimaunahan said the store project recipients could either pay on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on the volume of their sales.

However, instead of cash, the operators obtained goods (paninda) for their stores.

The goods - mostly grocery items – are backed by the Php50,000 LGU funding.

At present, a group of women at Baranggay San Martin has started building their poultry house which is being funded by the co-op.

Under the arrangement, MMPC will provide the poultry raisers feedstock and veterinary medicines.

The recipients will repay the loan after their first sale of live chicken weighing at least 1kg.

The  co-op is also arranging to sell a part of the chicken harvest to its members.

To date, MMPC’s most successful livelihood project is the tilapia fish-cage project at the open pit man-made lagoon in Larap.

The project operator, Rudy Divinagracia, recently harvested his first crop and is about to make his payment for the loan that ranged between Php5,000 – Php10,000.

MMPC is also supporting a pinyahan project in baranggays San Pedro, San Jose and Luklukan Sur.

The San Pedro farm is being operated by four farmer-beneficiaries.

Planting materials are being provided by the Mambulao LGU nursery.

Farm inputs will be supplied by the Mambulao Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MMPC) under a credit scheme, in which fingerlings and farm inputs will be repaid from the proceeds of the crop sale.

The pinyahan funding will come from the Grassroots Participatory Budgeting Process (GPBP) program of the national government.


Email: aphernandez@thenational.com.pg