Manila, May 22 -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) has partnered with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) to empower agricultural cooperatives in the Philippines.

The three government agencies signed a Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) on Wednesday, which will provide a new inter-agency framework to enhance support across all levels of governance for farmers and fishers nationwide.

"This memorandum is more than a policy document; it is a concrete whole-of-government commitment to empower our farmers and fisherfolk through stronger and more sustainable cooperatives," Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a news release on Friday.

Under the framework, nat...