Hagonoy, Bulacan – One of the challenges our farmers and fishermen face are the issues of access to resources, control over marketing, and fair pricing. These are evident in one of the community development project areas of Good Neighbors International Philippines in Hagonoy, Bulacan.
Hagonoy, Bulacan has almost 8000 hectares dedicated to fish farming. With 1,423 fishpond operators and 55 registered consignments, the town offers a variety of harvests. The interests that commercial banks and microfinance institutions impose discourage fisherfolks from investing long-term, thus gravely affecting their earnings.
On the 18th of May 2022, GNIP forged a partnership with Hagonoy Fish Farmers Producers Cooperative (HFFPC) by providing a 3.9M loan assistance to scale up their economic opportunities. This partnership resulted in better economic opportunities for the fish farmers in Bulacan.
The HFFPC’s value chain model makes it an excellent example of good business practice. They have complete control of the supply chain that was once dominated by middlemen or traders. They also offer lower input supply interest rates and minimal service fees for each transaction than other private institutions.
This excellent service provides their 212 veteran small-scale fishpond owners and fishermen members with increased income while maintaining their competitive pricing in the market despite the rising costs of materials. In addition, the cooperative’s monthly interest rate is kept at a minimum, only at 3%.
In the latter half of 2023, the HFFPC was offered a new opportunity through the recent WalterMart’s Palengke Fresh Program which they joined. The WalterMart is one of the top community shopping centers in the country, with over 36 mall branches nationwide.
When they originally opened for business in July 2023, they had just two municipal branches. Now, they were able to directly sell freshly collected sea goods to customers every Friday to Sunday, known as the Bagsakan Days or Market Days in four of the six WalterMart locations in Bulacan. Additionally, they were invited to supply additional branches in the nearby province of Nueva Ecija.
With these opportunities, they have generated sales revenue of approximately 6.4 million pesos, or nearly 320,000 pesos per week in less than six months.
Supporting cooperatives and fish farmers can directly have a better impact on their economic situation and also for the benefit of their children.