Farmers often form cooperatives, reform communities or put together processing and marketing agreements to cut costs.

CNN: INSIDE STORY: PHILIPPINES

Habibie administration, former cooperatives and small business minister Adi Sasono launched 17 separate credit schemes for the benefit of cooperatives, small businesses and farmers, funded largely by central bank credits.

CNN: Big Little Problems

The producer of the new gum is Consorcio Chiclero, which comprises 46 cooperatives with around 2, 000 chicleros farmers, working in an area of 1.3 million hectares of rainforest, according to a statement from Chicza.

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Olam sources directly from small agricultural cooperatives or village-level agents who buy directly from farmers.

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