Farmers earn big through DA-initiated market matching

Aiming to help the farming sector endure the effects of the ongoing pandemic, the Department of Agriculture (DA) Western Visayas intensifies activities linking farmers directly to institutional buyers. Since the start of the community quarantine in March, farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) in the region have generated around ₱20 million in cumulative sales.

“Aside from production inputs we provide, we also see to it that farmers will have sure markets for their agricultural produce especially now that we are in the midst of a public health emergency,” said Regional Executive Director Remelyn R. Recoter of the DA.

Aside from establishing Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita markets in varied places in the region, the DA Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) also carry out market matching activities to help FCAs find institutional buyers.

“We want the basic agricultural commodities are made available and accessible to consumers at affordable costs. Here, we are involving the participation of the private sector or the institutional buyers as well as the farmers’ associations in making the food value chain more sustainable,” Recoter added.

Based on AMAD reports as of Aug. 13, FCAs from Guimaras Island, Patnongon in Antique, Miagao, Leon, and Banate, Iloilo were able to sell 453,769 kilograms of assorted lowland and upland vegetables and seasonal fruits amounting to ₱12, 217,488.00 to institutional buyers in Iloilo City and Province; Bacolod City; Kalibo and Boracay Island in Aklan; and in Cebu City.

Also, the Local Food Terminal or the Bagsakan in Leon, Iloilo was able to sell ₱5.4 million worth of fresh fruits and vegetables to the different buyers from Aklan, Capiz and Iloilo.

Meanwhile, the Regional Local Food Terminal – San Miguel, Iloilo consolidated the 2,903 kilograms of rice worth ₱6,530,850.00 from the towns of Patnongon, Tapaz, and Jamindan.

The rice stocks were procured by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) under its Emergency Rice Support Project and donated it to the Department of Social Welfare and Development Central Office as part of the agency’s COVID-19 relief efforts.

“The rice donations had benefited about 33,000 households in Metro Manila,” Recoter added.

Five hundred kilograms of ground roasted coffee beans valued at ₱260,000.00 were sold by FCAs in Pototan to institutional buyers in Iloilo City.

Various agricultural products grown by the different FCAs in the region worth ₱308, 995.00 were also sold to bulk buyers. In addition to that, the Bayanihan Tipon Center (BTC) in Patnongon has entered in a continuous business deal with a coconut oil company in Pavia, Iloilo.

According to Patnongon BTC manager Henry Doliguez, they deliver more or less 10 tons of copra per week since April.

“We are buying the copra from the farmers at ₱22 per kilo which is much higher than the buying price of most traders in Antique which is usually at ₱16 a kilo. We are helping not only the copra farmers of Patnongon since we also consolidate the produce of farmers from Sibalom, San Remigio, Belison, Valderrama, Hamtic, and Tobias Fornier,” Doliguez said.

He thanked the DA-AMAD for initiating the market ventures between the BTC and the company in Iloilo.

“In this time of pandemic, farmers remain hopeful and they can feed their families. They can also buy the necessary inputs for their farms because they can sell their coconut products at a high price,” he said. (Sheila Mae H. Toreno/DA-RAFIS 6/Photo by DA-AMAD)