CO-OP FATTENS UP MEAT PRODUCTION THROUGH S&T

FACED WITH THE PROBLEM of hog oversupply, the farmers of Buklod-Unlad Multi-Purpose Cooperative (BUMC) of Taysan, Batangas ventured into meat processing. But early into its operations of processing meat, called Cerdo Real, the co-op was confronted with yet another oversupply problem: of processed meat products. But that problem would be easily solved.

COOP’S BEGINNINGS BUMC was created in June 1991, with an initial 44 members from the Malaluan clan as the coop was primarily established for the family. However, the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) requires that an organization should be open to nonfamily members or the public for it to be accredited. This is the reason why BUMC opened its membership to the public in 1993, and obtained its CDA accreditation in 1997. Today, its membership is comprised of overseas Filipino workers, farmers, and businesspersons, among others.

Angel Garcia, chairman of BUMC, said that businesspersons are crucial to their membership because they help in the capitalization of the cooperative. The goal of BUMC is to strengthen agriculture and trading by farmers through financing and new farming techniques.

In 2008, the cooperative launched its Alagaan Pangkabuhayan, an integrated pig production program which espouses the “from conception to consumption” system of pig production. Some farmer-members are into planting cassava and corn, which the cooperative uses for the feed mill. Some of the members are also into hog-raising. Thus the co-op consultant suggested that the co-op venture into meat processing, so that its hog raising business will not be adversely affected by market movements. Thus, when the price of hogs is low, the co-op can still earn from processed meat products.

PRODUCT DIFFERENCE – ONLY HIGH-QUALITY, HOMEGROWN MEAT There may have been many commercial brands of processed meat in the market, but what sets Cerdo Real apart is its use of only quality meat for its products. The farmers cultivate cassava for animal feed and raise the hogs themselves. And since in Taysan, Batangas, the people do not eat meat from sow (the “bulugan” or breeding boar), the co-op’s meat production is confined to young pork. Marivi B. Toriano, who is in charge of meat processing division, explained why bulugan is not used in meat processing. “We don’t use bulugan because [this will] require [the] use of more preservatives to tenderize the meat. The same [goes for] the use of ‘double dead’ meat (meat which is no longer fresh); [this will] require certain ingredients [in order to] eliminate the stench.”

That is why the co-op uses only home-grown hogs which feed on the farmers’ plants. The co-op also does not use imported meat and monosodium glutamate.

The challenge and DOST support When the coop was still new to the meat processing business, it could hardly turn a profit. “There [were] huge losses due to the cost of direct labor. Many complained [about] the taste [of our products] and many products ended up stocked in the freezer. The earnings from production were used up by power [costs],” recalls Santos Malaluan, Jr., co-op director. So in 2009, BUMC sought the help of a consultant—a nutritionist who helped the co-op achieve consistency in the taste of Cerdo Real products.

The cooperative’s general manager, Rosalinda G. Arellano, said that today, they do not receive complaints anymore, and that their customers are well satisfied with their meat products, which are now juicier and more tender. Their latest bestseller is siomai (dumplings), a must-try as it contains practically no extenders as compared to some other brands in the market. Their hotdogs can compete among the leading brands.

Their price is also competitive. Some of their products may be priced a bit higher, but customers are assured that the meat used in the products is not imported or ‘double dead’.

The co-op’s consultant, who is also