Sorosoro Ibaba Development Cooperative: 50 years of helping farmers and small business owners
For 50 years, the Sorosoro Ibaba Development Cooperative (SIDC) — one of the largest agri-based cooperatives in the country, has been helping farmers and its members to be empowered for success. There is now a marked increase in participation in the agricultural value chain among members. Access to more lucrative and dynamic markets through collective action has been enhanced.
Presently, the cooperative has more than 31,000 members and has ventures on feed milling, rice milling, savings and loans, retailing, organic fertilizers, resort and adventure park, livestock farming, water refilling, gas stations among others. Since its inception, SIDC has shown positive impacts to the lives of their farmer-members. These farmers are able to reap more economic gains than they would have if they earned as individual producers.
SIDC is a key driver that enables small farmers to take advantage of the economic opportunities associated with them.
WHAT SIDC DOES Feed Milling
SIDC, has its own feed mill, an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility that produces an average of 9,000 bags per day. It uses state-of-the-art machineries for the production of mash, pellet and crumble feeds for swine, poultry, broilers and ruminants.
KooPinoy SIDC Savings and Loans
The cooperative accepts deposits from its members, while the members receive additional capital through the Expanded Credit Loans Hog Fattening and ECL Breeding. Members can also apply for cash, housing and car loans at a minimum interest rate.
COOP Supermart & COOP Mart
The COOP Supermart and Coopmart offers a wide variety of reasonably-priced commodities — groceries, electrical supplies and agricultural inputs at affordable prices. Members can buy from any Coop Supermart branch; Rosario, Batangas; Sorosoro Ibaba, Batangas City and Bansud, Oriental Mindoro; and in any Coop Marts branches: Tinga Labac; Pallocan; Conde Labac; Pinamucan; San Miguel; Balanga, Ibaan; Bauan, San Juan Batangas; Alaminos, Laguna; Pinamalayan; Matungao, Oriental Mindoro; and Jaen, Nueva Ecija.
Contract Growing
Known as the paiwi system, the contract-growing project has brought means of livelihood to its members by giving them the opportunity to raise hogs.
Layer Farm
A cooperative located in Balanga, Ibaan Batangas provides regular supply of eggs to the members and other customers.
Rice Mill
SIDC’s rice mill, which is situated in Brgy. Matungao, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro, has a capacity of producing 220 sacks of rice a day.
Hog Selling Pen
To ensure continuous and accurate sales and hasten the hog-selling setup, the cooperative constructed a hogselling pen.
Agri-Trading and Financing
A one- stop shop where farming communities can access products and services from SIDC’s different business lines. These ATF hubs are located in Bicol (Pili, Tigaon, Libmanan, Polangui); North Luzon (Jaen, Mayantok, Guimba, Paniqui, San Miguel, Talavera 1, Talavera 2); Mindoro (Bongabong, Calapan); Laguna (Pila); Panay Island (Makato, Aklan); and Rizal (Tanay).
Sorosoro Spring Resort & Adventure Park
The resort was built to push SIDC’s agro-eco tourism initiative. Visitors can explore the beauty of nature and enjoy amenities for company teambuilding activities, summer outings and retreats. Located in Sorosoro Ibaba, Batangas City, it also offers hanging bridges, zip line rides and the first ‘Airbike’ ride in the area.
Petron and SIDC Gas Gasoline Station
SIDC partnered with Petron to provide gasoline services and auto supply service to members. Located in Balagtas, Batangas and Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro.
SIDC AquaCare
Members can buy safe drinking water from the cooperative’s water refilling station. The water has undergone 18 stages of purification process.
Kooplikas Organic Fertilizer
Made from various safe ingredients, the organic fertilizer is used for rice, corn, and vegetable crops.
Kooprints Designing and Printing Services
This latest facility of SIDC offers offset and tarpaulin printing services to all customers.
Digital Fiber TV and Internet
With SIDC’s affordable and convenient cable package, members can enjoy 100 standard definition channels and 17 high definition channels. The broadband plan offers 3 MBPS or 5 MBPS internet speed.
Koop Hardware
SIDC’s Koop Hardware caters to the needs of its members and customers by selling quality hardware and construction materials to them. Services can also be availed through the Construction Loan Program of KooPinoy SIDC Savings and Loan.
1 Click Shop
A mini Coop Mart and convenience store that offers basic needs. Shoppers can also dine and socialize in this establishment.
Right Vet
Quality and affordable farmtested antibiotics and vitamins for hogs and poultry.
SIDC Pig Farm
A multi-million piglet multiplier farm that houses about 800 sows.
HISTORY OF SIDC
SIDC was first established in March 19, 1969 as Sorosoro Ibaba Farmers’ Association with 59 members who voluntarily contributed money that was then used for the construction of a goods store offering basic commodities needed by nearby residents. Some members started poultry and hog raising thereby making feeds and other veterinary products available. The association became a dealer of different products, offered at low prices.
In 1972, the association became the Samahang Nayon ng Sorosoro Ibaba. The number of members grew after contractgrowing activities were started, totaling at 500 — large enough for an organization to qualify as a full-pledged cooperative. In the succeeding years, the organization went through a number of changes of name including the Samahang Nayon ng Sorosoro Ibaba Inc., Sorosoro Ibaba Consumers’ Cooperative in 1978, Sorosoro Ibaba Development Cooperative Inc. until finally, the Sorosoro Ibaba Development Cooperative or SIDC.
MOVING FORWARD WITH NEW MEMBERS AND GAINS
In the past year, SIDC adopted strategies based on the direction set by the cooperative for achieving their general goals from 2018 to 2022. The organization has also succeeded in strengthening their ranks through co-op consolidation and resuming cooperative businesses in communities, along with changing their procedures and improving their policies, thus resulting in having 31,605 members from a wide spectrum on the map – Metro Manila, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Romblon, Bataan, Zambales, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Bicol, Aklan, Palawan, Bacolod, Capiz and Antique; reaching P4.7 billion in net sales, and achieving P69.86 million net income at the end of 2018.
In addition to the structural organization, they have also opened four branches of onestop-shops, three branches of SIDC, and one franchisee in the areas of San Juan, Batangas; Alaminos, Laguna; Jaen, Nueva Ecija, and Bansud, Oriental Mindoro. They also added five feed outlets. The organization’s feed milling business is continuously preparing for the growing demand of their members to have two added SILOs, creating additional Sales and a one hectare raw materials warehouse in Balagtas, Batangas City, a trial farm, and maintaining their ISO certification number.
With the help of a developed group of trainers from different regions, SIDC has carried out a total number of 352 Pre-membership Education Seminars which resulted in an additional 4,818 members in the previous year. This is equivalent to 15.7 percent growth in their membership compared to the 6.8 percent in 2017.
By the end of 2018, SIDC had 16,304 regular members and 15,571 total associate members.
AN AWARD-WINNING COOPERATIVE
Last year, SIDC was awarded the AGROW Award’s “Inspiring Cooperative” in the previous ASEAN Agricultural Summit 2018. This award is given to cooperatives who served as a model and inspiration to cooperatives and demonstrated business operating efficiency from Go Negosyo, Department of Agriculture (DA), and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC). The cooperative has been awarded as the seventh recipient of the Agriterra program, a Dutch agri-agency founded by the Dutch agricultural sector that helps cooperatives and agricultural organizations.
The year 2018 was tough on the organization, but SIDC has learned that they need to be more diligent when it comes to expanding and developing their operations.
“We have come a long way but it is still just a new challenge to further what we have and to continue to be useful even in the next generation. Through the guidance of God and your continued support, I believe that in more than fifty years our cooperative will reach new successes,” says SIDC Chairman Dr. Angelito Bagui.