A cooperative in Pinamungajan town, southern Cebu has partnered with a leading pork producer company to help its livelihood program become more sustainable.

Composed of more than 100,000 members with 29 satellite offices in Cebu, the Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LMPC) inked a partnership with Virginia Farms Inc., which will offer a buy-back scheme that will benefit the members of the cooperative who are into hog farming.

Through the partnership, Virginia Farms will supply LMPC members with feeds through their Virginia Feeds brand and will also buy the farmers’ hogs upon harvest at a guaranteed price.

The LMPC has received P20 million from the livelihood assistance program of the Department of Agriculture. The LMPC can lend the funds to their members who are already into agriculture-related livelihood or to those who plan to start one.

“We have a lot of farmers who are already into hog raising now and often times they always struggle when selling their hogs and with our buy-back partnership with Virginia Farms, having the direct access to the market because of their retail arm The Pork Shop, we have found a sustainable arrangement for our members,” said LMPC General Manager Ellen Limocon.

For his part, VFI president Rolando E. Tambago said the partnership is the company’s way of answering the government’s call to help boost the country’s agricultural industry.

VFI officially launched its buy-back program in February last year when it unveiled its feeds brand Virginia Feeds, through its Virginia Farmers Solution (VFS) division.

“This division (VFS) was born out of our aim to really provide help to the hog farmers, first here in Cebu then eventually throughout the country, get access to the latest in hog farming from genetics, nutrition and management,” Tambago said.

Tambago said the VFI will also provide technical support to LMPC members through training as well as access to the latest swine genetics that will ensure higher productivity and best quality meat.