The National Food Authority has provided almost P497 million in Cooperative Development Incentive Fees to Filipino farmers organizations in the last 10 years for the acquisition of farm facilities.

The NFA said in a report the CDIF has been used by beneficiary FOs for the construction of warehouse and the purchase of mechanical grain driers and other post harvest facilities. Qualified FOs are also granted soft loans for farm level grains centers. The FLGCs, with a storage capacity ranging from 3,000 to 10,000 bags, cost from P1.7 to P2.4 million. Each contains ancillary facilities like mechanical and solar grain driers and rice mills for grains processing.

Cooperatives pay the FLGC loan by selling their produce to the NFA. So far, 38 units of FLGCs are already being maintained by various farmers organizations nationwide, the report said.

The NFA also allow farmers to use the agency's drying facilities for a minimal fee especially during harvest time. The agency has a total of 450 units of operational mechanical grain driers nationwide with an effective drying capacity of 5,330 cavans per hour.*NLG

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