Koronadal City, South Cotabato – The Rural Agro-enterprise Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth (RAPID Growth) Project of the Ministry of Trade, Investments and Tourism (MTIT-BARMM) successfully conducted a three-day Entrepreneurial Skills Training and Logistics and Supply Chain Management workshop for Coconut Farmers' Organizations (FOs), reinforcing the project's commitment to building resilient, competitive, and market-oriented cooperatives across the Bangsamoro region.

The training brought together 51 participants composed of representatives from Coconut Farmers' Organizations, RAPID Project staff, and partners from PLDT/Smart, Maya, and Century Pacific Agricultural Ventures Inc. (CPAVI). The activity focused on strengthening participants' knowledge and skills in digital entrepreneurship, e-commerce, branding, logistics and supply chain management, digital marketing, and cybersecurity to enable cooperatives to thrive in the digital economy.

Participants were also updated on the RAPID Growth Project's implementation status and remaining capacity-building targets, highlighting the importance of expanding community-based training to reach the project's target beneficiaries before project completion. Farmer organizations developed action plans to cascade the knowledge gained to fellow cooperative members, ensuring wider outreach and long-term sustainability.

A key highlight of the training was the discussion on digital transformation and the growing role of technology in improving cooperative operations, communication, product promotion, and market access. Experts also conducted a cybersecurity awareness session that equipped participants with practical knowledge on identifying and preventing online scams, phishing attacks, OTP fraud, and other digital threats.

The workshop emphasized that strong branding, effective online marketing, and an understanding of target markets are essential for increasing the competitiveness of coconut-based enterprises. Participants were encouraged to maximize digital platforms and social media to expand their market reach while practicing safe and responsible online transactions.

Despite challenges such as limited internet connectivity in remote communities and varying levels of digital literacy among participants, the activity demonstrated the strong commitment of Coconut Farmers' Organizations to embrace innovation and contribute to achieving the RAPID Growth Project's remaining targets.

The training also reinforced emerging good practices, including community-based learning, knowledge cascading, collaborative planning, youth engagement, and data-driven monitoring to improve implementation efficiency and ensure that more cooperative members benefit from capacity-building initiatives.

Through this initiative, the RAPID Growth Project continues to empower Coconut Farmers' Organizations with practical knowledge, innovative tools, and strategic partnerships that will strengthen cooperative enterprises, improve market access, and create sustainable livelihood opportunities for farming communities across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.