1. Office of the President of the Philippines
NATIONAL ANTI-POVERTY COMMISSION
Water System Training Center, MWSS-LWUA Complex, Katipunan Ave., Quezon City
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Mr. Bryan G. Villasana, NAPC Communications Officer
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PRESS RELEASE
June 18, 2014
Bohol Puts Best Foot Forward to ASEAN Senior Officials:
A Visit to Carmen Samahang Nayon
Senior Officials from ASEAN Member States pay a visit to Carmen Samahang Nayon, a multi-purpose
cooperative of more than 2,000 poor cacao farmers that entered into a partnership with Kennemer Foods,
Inc. (KFI), and Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) in Bohol.
A successful rural enterprise, Carmen Samahang Nayon was presented as a model in the 11th
Senior Officials
Meeting on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication (SOMRDPE) held in Panglao Island, Bohol.
KFI initiated a venture of contract farming with poor cacao farmers to plant and grow cacao that KFI will buy
for its international market of chocolates. LandBank provides loans to the farmers to help them tide over the
two-year period before they can harvest the cacao fruits. LandBank is confident the loans will be paid come
harvest time because the farmers have a ready buyer for their produce, which is KFI.
This three-way partnership exemplifies a strong cooperation between poor farmers, government
institutions, and private entities that work together towards rural development.
KFI buys 75% of the farmers’ harvest. To ensure the quality of the cacao, the company provides training and
technological support and supervises the farmers. It sends cacao doctors to the farms to monitor the cacao
plants.
Farmers are assured of a good price—a price floor is set with KFI which can be increased based on market
price.
The partnership with KFI began in 2011 with only 30 farmers. Due to the success of the program, 350
hectares in Bohol are now cacao farms and Samahang Nayon’s membership has increased to 2,000 strong.
The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) hosts the 11th
Senior Officials Meeting on Rural Development
and Poverty Eradication (SOMRDPE) in Bohol.