The Puerto Rican national association of farmers (Asociación de Agricultores) is supporting co-operatives to boost agricultural development.
Formed in 1924, the Association of Farmers of Puerto Rico is a not for profit organisation that includes farmers, fishermen, entrepreneurs and other professionals working in agriculture. Its president, Héctor Iván Cordero, said the organisation would be supporting and promising co-operatives as vehicles of agricultural development.
The Association of Farmers is also working on areas such as agricultural education, biotechnology, agricultural engineering and alliances with financial institutions. Speaking at a press conference at the College of Agronomists in Hato Hey, Mr Cordero explained how co-operatives helped farmers get better prices for their products, gain access to the market and improve products.
“Some of these projects have already started or are within the fist development stages”, said Mr Cordero. He also highlighted that co-operative enterprises were able to survive the economic crisis.
So far the association has been focused on two co-operative projects: Coople and Coopmap. The first one is a co-operative of milk producers set up in April to provide better economic conditions for dairy producers using milk produced locally. This would also help guarantee a fair price for consumers. Coopmap is a co-operative that enables farmers to gain access to the market and exchange their products with products from other regions. By not having to sell the products themselves they can focus on production instead.
The association aims to develop similar projects in the future across different industries. It has worked in partnership with the United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA) to promote agricultural development in Puerto Rico, which is an unincorporated U.S. territory. The collaboration led to a mentorship programme, which saw experienced farmers offering advice and guidance to young farmers or those new to the sector.
Having access to financial services is another important pillar for agricultural development. To address the lack of financial loans for agricultural co-operatives, the Association has joined efforts with Puerto Rico Farm Credit, a credit co-operative that has been serving farmers for over 90 years.
Photo: coffee and banana farm in Puerto Rico
