BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
SUSTAINABLE forest management company Citicore Candlewick Bioenergy, Inc. (CCBI) has partnered with Agriterra to expand livelihood opportunities and improve the quality of lives of its host communities through a grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAid).
According to CCBI, a renewable energy firm subsidiary of Citicore Power Inc. (Citicore), it aspires to become among the top ten world producers of sustainable biomass fuel chips through sustainable forestry and community upliftment that will generate long-term value for all stakeholders.
Oliver Tan, Citicore president, said they are very grateful for this partnership with the USAid and Agriterra to help uplift the lives of communities where their projects are located.
“We believe that giving cooperatives the necessary training and tools will help them perform better, earn more, and ensure their long-term sustainability,” he said.
Tan noted that through this grant from USAid to CCBI under the Generating Rural Opportunities by Working with Cooperatives (Grow Coop) initiative, the parties will implement a 15-month community development program aimed at generating income sources and enhancing the quality of life for communities within or near CCBI plantations.
He said there were seven growth-oriented agriculture cooperatives (GOACs) identified as beneficiaries and oriented with the Grow-Coop program where business development support and services focusing on agriculture were provided.
These are Buenavista Upland Agricultural Cooperative, Carabalan Upland Agricultural Cooperative, Mahalang Upland Agricultural Cooperative and Alolong Upland Agricultural Cooperative, which are all located in Negros Occidental.
The other units are Kauswagan Sang Pangabuhi Agriculture Cooperative and Riverside Upland Agricultural Cooperative in Isabela and Binadlan Bi-ao Agricultural Cooperative in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental.
Tan said the project has already started and continues to be implemented in all of CCBI’s host communities.
CCBI is also a joint venture between Citicore and sustainable forest management expert Candlewick Green Canopy Corp., a pioneer in mass reforestation of degraded lands, utilizing an economic support mechanism from international energy market players in the biomass industry.
Agriterra, on the other hand, is a global organization specializing in advice and training to cooperatives. It seeks to expand rural livelihood opportunities, boost incomes and improve the overall socio-economic well-being of partner communities
“CCBI is committed to promoting inclusive growth and creating opportunities for its local communities. The company supports programs that create sustained shared value for its project sites and its host communities. We thank USAid-Agriterra for this partnership and opportunity,” Tan added. LEANDER C. DOMINGO