La Union: From an initial capital of PHP450,000, the Aringay Veggies Agriculture Cooperative (Aringay Veggies), composed of 37 household beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Aringay, La Union, has achieved significant growth in less than two years.

According to Philippines News Agency, since its inception in April 2023, the cooperative now boasts PHP700,000 worth of assets. Notably, three of its members graduated from the conditional cash transfer program last year. The Aringay Veggies cooperative was selected for the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DPWH) Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) for its innovative proposal to establish a vegetable chips-making venture utilizing surplus produce.

Last year, the cooperative was recognized as the Best Micro-Enterprise Development Association under DSWD’s National Gawad Sulong in SLP and was also celebrated as one of the Outstanding Agri-preneurs in La Union. The cash prizes amounting to PHP50,000 and PHP40,000 were strategically invested in acquiring additional equipment to enhance production capabilities.

The story of Aringay Veggies is one of resilience and innovation. Emilia Tucay, now the president of the cooperative, faced personal challenges after losing her husband in 2022. With four children to support, Tucay transitioned from assisting her farmer-husband to leading the cooperative. The cooperative benefited not only from seed capital but also from a series of training sessions provided by the Don Mariano Memorial State University.

‘We sold our products to municipal government employees, then to the teachers and students. We even joined the Kadiwa ng Pangulo and other fair trades, and we are glad that our products have gained recognition,’ Tucay shared in Filipino. The cooperative began with squash chips and expanded into producing eggplant chips, which are primary crops in their locality. They also produce chips from lady fingers, malunggay, string beans, and kangkong (water spinach), priced between PHP30 and PHP60, with discounts available for resellers or bulk orders.

Aringay Veggies has successfully marketed its products beyond local borders, receiving orders from other provinces through their Facebook page ‘Aringay Veggies.’ The cooperative takes pride in growing ingredients organically and has introduced new products such as malunggay and squash noodles and rice cookies.