The Department of Agriculture (DA), together with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), has launched a joint policy framework to strengthen support for agricultural cooperatives nationwide.
Signed by top officials from the three agencies at DA’s central office, the Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) aligns national agencies, local governments, and partners toward shared goals: stable food supply, better incomes, and inclusive rural growth. It streamlines programs, avoids duplicate efforts, and sets up a coordinated, data-based system to guide, monitor, and assist cooperatives.
Agricultural cooperatives are key to helping farmers and fisherfolk pool resources, increase output, reach more markets, and build stronger local businesses. DA Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. emphasized the document marks a whole-of-government promise to empower producers through sustainable cooperatives—aligning efforts to deliver faster, more effective aid.
The measure backs President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s vision of growing agriculture through teamwork and community-led enterprises. It requires local governments to include cooperatives in development plans and help track their progress.
Now cleared for release to regional offices, the framework is seen as a major step toward better livelihoods, more reliable food supply, and long-term opportunities for farming and fishing communities across the country.
