BRIEF HISTORY
- The Agrizkaya Cooperative Federation, originally named the Diocesan Cooperative
- Development Council Inc. (DCDCI), has its origins in the concerns and initiatives of Fr.Paul
- Bollen, a Belgian missionary and Parish Priest of Dupax del Sur, in the 1970s.
- During that time, farmers heavily depended on usurious moneylenders and traders for
- farm inputs and the sale of their harvest.
- To address this issue, Fr. Paul Bollen, along with the parish council and concerned
- citizens of Dupax del Sur, formed the St. Vincent Parish Credit Cooperative (SVPCC) in
- 1979. This cooperative, the first parish-based cooperative in Nueva Vizcaya,
- experienced growth, and success.
- Eight years later, SVPCC's success inspired other parishes to establish their own
- cooperatives, with savings and credit programs as their focus. However, despite the
- cooperatives providing capital to farmers, they still faced challenges in marketing their
- harvests, as traders controlled the market. This led to the idea of establishing a
- Diocesan Cooperative Federation, which was formally organized on July 31, 1991, and
- registered with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) on November 29, 1991,
- under the name Diocesan Cooperative Development Council, Inc. The main purpose
- of the federation was to strengthen member cooperatives through centralized
- marketing of inputs and products, technical and financial assistance, training,
- education, information, and administrative support.
- With the support of CICM missionaries who served as Parish Priests in different
- Parishbased Cooperatives and the encouragement of Bishop Ramon B. Villena, the
- federation expanded. Initially, there were nine cooperatives that federated, later
- increasing to fifteen.
- Formal business operations began in September 1993 when the first Belgian
- consultant, Mr. Koen Duchateau, arrived. The federation ventured into palay trading,
- which initially prospered but faced challenges in the long run. Additional projects, such
- as the "AGKAN PROGRAM" for women and the "TRAINING PROGRAM," managed by
- Belgian consultants Ms. Gudrun Cartuyvels and Mr. Cris Hendricks, also failed to uplift
- farmers' livelihoods.<br><br>As a result, support from members weakened, and the
- federation experienced a
- period of decline. The management staff and officers became demoralized, leaving the
- federation abandoned. Meanwhile, a neighboring venture called NVAT (Nueva Vizcaya
- Agricultural Trading) emerged, supported by the Provincial Government and the
- Department of Agriculture, becoming a successful center for auctioning, selling, and
- buying vegetables and fruits—the original vision of the Agrizkaya Cooperative
- Federation.
- However, in April 2010, six parish-based cooperative members decided to revive the
- federation. Eden D. Lacar, the manager of St. Catherine's Parish MPC, took on the role
- of part-time manager and enlisted volunteer staff. Through hard work, unity, and
- cooperation, along with the support of the six parish-based cooperatives and guidance
- from Rev. Fr. Gerry Bouckaert, CICM, the federation began to recover. Its membership
- expanded to include non-parish-based cooperatives, and its area of operation
- extended to the provinces of Region II and CAR, increasing its membership from six to
- seventeen in its first year of recovery. To facilitate the recovery process, a new
- administrative building was constructed, and 30 rental stalls were built. The part-time
- manager was then asked to work full-time for the swift recovery of the federation.
- During the recovery phase, Agrizkaya faced various challenges but developed a new
- plan and identified new services, including the development of an organic products
- marketing venue. Today, with continued support from Fr. Gerry Bouckaert and
- government agencies such as the Department of Agriculture, Department of Science
- and Technology, and the Department of Trade and Industry, Agrizkaya has expanded
- its business engagements. This includes the establishment of the Food Processing
- area, a local store now called the One Store Hub, the Vegetable consolidation area,
- and the installation of a new Cold Storage Facility.
- The Agrizkaya Cooperative Federation, originally named the Diocesan Cooperative
- Development Council Inc. (DCDCI), has its origins in the concerns and initiatives of Fr.Paul
- Bollen, a Belgian missionary and Parish Priest of Dupax del Sur, in the 1970s.
- During that time, farmers heavily depended on usurious moneylenders and traders for
- farm inputs and the sale of their harvest.
- To address this issue, Fr. Paul Bollen, along with the parish council and concerned
- citizens of Dupax del Sur, formed the St. Vincent Parish Credit Cooperative (SVPCC) in
- 1979. This cooperative, the first parish-based cooperative in Nueva Vizcaya,
- experienced growth, and success.
- Eight years later, SVPCC's success inspired other parishes to establish their own
- cooperatives, with savings and credit programs as their focus. However, despite the
- cooperatives providing capital to farmers, they still faced challenges in marketing their
- harvests, as traders controlled the market. This led to the idea of establishing a
- Diocesan Cooperative Federation, which was formally organized on July 31, 1991, and
- registered with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) on November 29, 1991,
- under the name Diocesan Cooperative Development Council, Inc. The main purpose
- of the federation was to strengthen member cooperatives through centralized
- marketing of inputs and products, technical and financial assistance, training,
- education, information, and administrative support.
- With the support of CICM missionaries who served as Parish Priests in different
- Parishbased Cooperatives and the encouragement of Bishop Ramon B. Villena, the
- federation expanded. Initially, there were nine cooperatives that federated, later
- increasing to fifteen.
- Formal business operations began in September 1993 when the first Belgian
- consultant, Mr. Koen Duchateau, arrived. The federation ventured into palay trading,
- which initially prospered but faced challenges in the long run. Additional projects, such
- as the "AGKAN PROGRAM" for women and the "TRAINING PROGRAM," managed by
- Belgian consultants Ms. Gudrun Cartuyvels and Mr. Cris Hendricks, also failed to uplift
- farmers' livelihoods.<br><br>As a result, support from members weakened, and the
- federation experienced a
- period of decline. The management staff and officers became demoralized, leaving the
- federation abandoned. Meanwhile, a neighboring venture called NVAT (Nueva Vizcaya
- Agricultural Trading) emerged, supported by the Provincial Government and the
- Department of Agriculture, becoming a successful center for auctioning, selling, and
- buying vegetables and fruits—the original vision of the Agrizkaya Cooperative
- Federation.
- However, in April 2010, six parish-based cooperative members decided to revive the
- federation. Eden D. Lacar, the manager of St. Catherine's Parish MPC, took on the role
- of part-time manager and enlisted volunteer staff. Through hard work, unity, and
- cooperation, along with the support of the six parish-based cooperatives and guidance
- from Rev. Fr. Gerry Bouckaert, CICM, the federation began to recover. Its membership
- expanded to include non-parish-based cooperatives, and its area of operation
- extended to the provinces of Region II and CAR, increasing its membership from six to
- seventeen in its first year of recovery. To facilitate the recovery process, a new
- administrative building was constructed, and 30 rental stalls were built. The part-time
- manager was then asked to work full-time for the swift recovery of the federation.
- During the recovery phase, Agrizkaya faced various challenges but developed a new
- plan and identified new services, including the development of an organic products
- marketing venue. Today, with continued support from Fr. Gerry Bouckaert and
- government agencies such as the Department of Agriculture, Department of Science
- and Technology, and the Department of Trade and Industry, Agrizkaya has expanded
- its business engagements. This includes the establishment of the Food Processing
- area, a local store now called the One Store Hub, the Vegetable consolidation area,
- and the installation of a new Cold Storage Facility.