DA-10 F2C2 capacitates farmer clusters on financial management and policy-making

 

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Seventeen (17) farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) in Northern Mindanao underwent capacity building on financial management and policy-making through a three-day training organized by the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (DA-10) under its Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation (F2C2) Program from July 23 to 25, in this city.

The training aimed to enhance the financial literacy and governance capacity of FCAs, covering key topics such as the fundamental of financial management, simplified bookkeeping for non-accountants, and the use of Excel-based accounting systems. Overall, these are designed to help cooperatives generate real-time financial reports, fostering transparency and accountability within their organizations.

Serving as resource persons were EnP Rolan F. Literatus, CPA, and Dr. Frank Richard T. Paurom, CPA, who guided the participants through practical applications in financial management, cooperative governance, and project proposal development. Of which, these skills are eyed to help FCAs craft project proposals aligned with their organizational goals, thereby increasing their chances to access funding and forge partnerships for community-based initiatives.

Governance-focused sessions included hands-on workshops on drafting board and cluster resolutions. The speakers emphasized the legal, procedural, and strategic significance of accurate and well-documented decision-making processes within cooperatives.

In an interview, Oliver B. Bacas, chairman of the Liboran Samahang Nayon Multipurpose Cooperative, expressed his gratitude to the agency and President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr for their continued support to grassroots organizations.

“Our cooperative has benefited from several DA interventions, and this training is one of the most valuable. We learned a a lot about accounting, bookkeeping, and record-keeping—skills that will significantly improve our operations. I thank the DA[-10], our regional [executive] director, and our beloved President for their unwavering support,” Bacas shared.

Said training is part of the F2C2 program’s broader commitment to strengthen the operational capacities of FCAs in the region. Further training sessions, including strategic planning workshops, are slated to continue supporting the development of resilient and sustainable agri-based enterprises across Northern Mindanao.# (MAC)