SASJ AR Coop on the limelight at a local weekend market
Sta. Ana San Joaquin Agrarian Reform Cooperative (SASJ AR Coop) embodies the true definition of a cooperative, one that provides a variety of roles and services within their communities especially during these unprecedented events brought by the pandemic with the effects impacting numerous aspects of daily life.
For the past months since the advent of the pandemic, the cooperative has proven their resiliency during the times of crisis by establishing a “Talipapa” in their community which benefits the residents of the hinterlands and had been supportive to its members by providing financial and relief aid. Now, the cooperative has been actively showcasing their locally woven Nito products and food produce in a local weekend market in Pandan, Antique.
According to Mrs. Marites B. Gregorio, BOD Member, this initiative would provide livelihood and extra income to the residents of their community where they can supply raw material (nito) to the cooperative which will be turned into a woven nito product such as oval tray, coaster, oval place mat, basket and big planter by the skilled coop members. Further, the cooperative is also responsible to look for a potential buyer and market of the finished products hence, the weekend market is one perfect avenue for them.
Nito is a raw material that is abundant in the hinterland barangays which is one of the main reasons why they chose to venture into this business livelihood. Moreover, workers are having a hard time distributing their products to markets due to travel restrictions thus the cooperative transports the products to the weekend market.
The price of the products varies and is offered in a reasonable price. The coaster is sold at Php 300.00; Oval tray at Php 1000.00 per set; round/oval place mat at Php 200.00; and big planter at Php 1000.00 per set. Available designs include regular, spider and linear and they also accept customized design preferred by the customer.
Besides the local handicraft, members of the SASJ AR Cooperative also showcased an array of food products such as Banag (a river snail cooked in coconut milk and spiced with ginger), Paco salad (Fiddlehead Fern Salad), Bukayo (Filipino dessert made from sweetened coconut strips) and Pinais Tapul (a variety of suman which uses glutinous purple rice).
Pandan Weekend Market is organized by the University of the Philippines Pandanon (UPP) in partnership with the Office of the Vice Mayor of LGU-Pandan with the objective of supporting vegetable farmers, artisanal vendors and local food producers and helping them rebuild their livelihoods and communities amidst pandemic.
In an interview, Mr. Arden Rod Condez, one of the organizers, shared that the weekend market was conceptualized due to the complex consequences brought by the pandemic. “It could be remembered that the municipality of Pandan was the first town in mainland Antique which recorded the first positive case of Covid-19. “We organized this weekend market in an effort to better serve the community and help our small scale entrepreneurs showcase their products solely produced here in Pandan.”
SASJ AR Coop’s nito products are the best and durable hand-woven nito products in town according to Mr. Condez. “The products being featured in the weekend market must be approved by the organization because of our “No Dupilication” rule so the entrepreneurs need make sure that they offer only the best products.”
The weekend market features entrepreneurs offering handicrafts made from bariw and nito, artisanal foods, artworks of local artists, as well as plants for plant enthusiasts. It started last September 13, 2020 and is scheduled once a month with no fixed date, every Sunday from 7:00AM to 1:00PM at the Liberman Sports Complex, Pandan, Antique.
The organizers assure that the arrangement of the stalls abides to the physical distancing. Upon entering the gymnasium, body temperatures are check and attendance are monitored as mandated by the IATF.
Mr. Condez hopes this collaborative undertaking could be replicated by other towns in Antique because he believes that the province have a bountiful creative world-class products and delicious delicacies that could be showcased around the globe. “All our small scale entrepreneurs need is a little push and support especially from the government that would enable them to alleviate their lives that’s why an avenue like this would be a great help.”
SASJ Agrarian Reform Cooperative proves that as an organization with sustainable enterprise and skilled and committed members, they can withstand crisis and maintain livelihoods in the community by which they operate.
