There are 12,058 promising and registered cooperatives across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the region’s Cooperative and Social Enterprise Authority (CSEA) said here Monday.
In an interview, CSEA Administrator Samcia Ibrahim said the province of Maguindanao is on top of the list with 5,439 registered cooperatives, the highest so far in BARMM.
Lanao del Sur has 4,515 followed by Sulu with 1,040; Tawi-Tawi, 711; and Basilan with 353.
The listed types of registered cooperatives were related to advocacy, agrarian, agriculture, consumer, credit, dairy, education, federation, fisherman, marketing, multipurpose, producer, service, traders, transport, union, and workers.
“The producer and marketing cooperatives with 4,106 and 3,586 groups, respectively, turned out to be the leading types of community enterprises in the BARMM,” Ibrahim said.
Ibrahim said many members of the cooperatives in the region are former combatants of two Moro fronts — the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front — that have both inked a comprehensive peace deal with the government.
“Many of our registered cooperatives are doing well, and expanding in their undertakings to the point of helping generate earnings and jobs for the localities,” Ibrahim said.
In Maguindanao alone, she cited a few of the recognized cooperatives as the Fish Farm Cooperative in Datu Odin Sinsuat town; the Community Fish Landing Center Cooperative in Parang; the Ittihadun-Nisa Foundation-Bangsamoro Women Skills Training Center in Sultan Kudarat; and the Ar-Rahman Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Mamasapano.
“These are among this year’s nationally recognized cooperatives of BARMM,” Ibrahim said.
The CSEA, formerly known as Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), mainly serves as a regulatory agency mandated for the registration of cooperatives; extend technical guidance; capability building; and inspection, monitoring, and validation of cooperative business operations in the Bangsamoro Region.
The CSEA is operating under the Office of BARMM Chief Minister Ahod “Murad” Ebrahim.
Recently, the CSEA has conducted a sectoral stakeholder consultation on its proposed BARMM Cooperative Code held in this city. (PNA)
