Investment forum, trade fair link farm clusters to agribiz

To enable farmers’ competitiveness in production and income sustainability, the Department of Agriculture (DA) Western Visayas, through its Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation (F2C2) Program, facilitated a Business to Business Matching with Trade Fair and Investment Forum on August 27 to 30 at Casa Real, Iloilo City. 

“Farmers and agri-stakeholders in the region face different challenges, including fragmented agricultural production, market access problems, and inconsistent investments, with our commodities not fully integrated into the value chain. F2C2 was created to address these problems by encouraging smallholder farm clusters to adopt more efficient and competitive operations. Strategic alignment of investments is essential to realizing the full potential of our agricultural sector,” said Engr. Jose Albert A. Barrogo, DA Western Visayas’ Regional Technical Director for Operations and Extension. 

In the investment forum, Department of Trade and Industry 6 Senior Trade and Industry Development Specialist Glenda S. Loloy, Youth First Initiative Inc – Produkto Lokal Executive Director Martin Ortiz, Iloilo Business Club Board of Trustee Ma. Luisa Segovia and DA Agricultural Training Institute 6 Center Director Mary Ann Ramos shared their respective investment programs, which members of the farm clusters and micro-small-and-medium enterprises (MSMEs) can avail to prosper in the agribusiness industry. 

The DTI aims to transform farmers into agri-entrepreneurs, registering individual farmers to DTI and groups to the Security and Exchange Commission. “To penetrate the market, farmers must transition into the formal economy by registering as businesses,” Segovia stressed. 

She added that the department supports farmers’ organizations through agricultural product development and marketing, particularly for coffee, cacao, coconut, and other high-value crops. Moreover, she emphasized the need to assist farmers in ensuring a guaranteed market for their products. 

Meanwhile, ATI Center Director Ramos shared that they have standardized courses and modules in Farm Business Schools, which intend to make farmers become both producers and entrepreneurs. 

“We believe that our farmers should have entrepreneurial skills to be locally and globally competitive that is why ATI offers training and extension support to farmers’ organizations,” said Ramos, who also mentioned their partnership with the DA F2C2 Program in the preparation for Cluster Development Plans and Business Plans.

In addition, Director Ortiz of Produkto Lokal tackled the many benefits for farmers’ groups and MSMEs using various digital marketing applications to boost their brand awareness and profitability. Iloilo Business Club Board of Trustee Ma. Luisa Segovia reiterated the need for farm clusters to register and consolidate to achieve competitive pricing for their agri-fishery commodities. 

F2C2 Enterprise and Marketing Development Unit Head Clark Melendres said that the investment forum provided a platform to discuss the various supports and resources, best practices, capacity building, market access, partnerships, technology and innovations, and existing policies which will help usher farm clusters toward profitable agricultural investments. 

Farmers’ organizations assisted by the F2C2 Program are participating in the trade fair and exhibit, which will run until August 30. Among the exhibitors are the Nagpana Minorities Association of Barotac Viejo, Iloilo; Sitio Buyuan-Baras Coffee Growers’ Association; Capiz Cacao Producers Cooperative, Progressive Women Agrarian Reform Cooperative, Tubungan Vegetable Producers Association, Cabatuan Organic Farmers and Practitioners’ Association, Guimaras Brethren Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Panudlak Farm of Leganes, Aklan Agricultural Improvement and Marketing Cooperative, and Marsh Mushroom of Panay Organic Producers’ Association.###Texts by SMHToreno and Photos by KDCaldina (DA-RAFIS 6)