A group of farmers here, the Bantog Samahang Nayon Multi-purpose Cooperative (BSNMC), is bouncing back as they now provide nutritious milk to the provincial government’s feeding program and to the local government of this town.

In an interview on Monday, BSNMC president Rolly Mateo said they were asked by the provincial government to produce 24,000 sachets of 200-milliliter choco milk every two weeks.

“Due to the lockdown in the past months, we were unable to sell most of our products because our customers cannot travel. But now, we are glad we have this partnership with the provincial government as well as the local government of Asingan,” he said.

Mateo said their cooperative continued to buy the cow’s milk product from the farmers and distributed it for free to the people amid the lockdown.

“It was the cooperatives’ way of giving back to the people what the government has helped us with,” he added.

Mateo cited the Philippine Carabao Center, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Agrarian Reform, among others, as the catalysts to further develop their products and the cooperative as well.

The cooperative started distributing dairy products in 2005 with PHP10,000, but they now have PHP7 million to PHP8 million assets with an estimated 260 members at present.

Aside from fresh and pasteurized milk, the cooperative now produces yogurt with strawberry, blueberry, and mango flavors as well as chocolate-flavored milk, among others. (PNA)