President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) to facilitate the forging of partnerships between agriculture cooperatives and local government units (LGUs) to strengthen the development and training of farmers.

Marcos issued the directive during a meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) in Malacañang Tuesday.

During the meeting, the PSAC recommended the creation of an office in the Department of Agriculture (DA) to focus solely on the capacity building and professionalization of agricultural cooperatives.

The President, however, pointed out that cooperatives are within the ambit of the CDA.

Instead, he suggested that the CDA should look into establishing partnerships with the LGUs to carry out farmers’ development and training.

“Maybe we have to come to some kind of partnership for LGUs that are, in fact, interested. Or the areas that we would like to organize better,” Marcos said, as quoted in a Presidential Communications Office (PCO) news release Wednesday.

“Puntahan ng CDA (The CDA should go to them) and tell them, you know, we could do much better here and this is how we can do it with the help of the LGU,” he added.

An attached agency to the Department of Trade and Industry, the CDA is mandated to promote the viability and growth of cooperatives as instruments of equity, social justice, and economic development.

Noting that the CDA is just a small agency with limited manpower and resources, Marcos said it is necessary for the agency to partner with LGUs to help it carry out its mandate. (PNA)