DTI, DA join forces for P12-M project to help farmers, fisherfolk

The Departments of Trade and Industry and Agriculture have teamed up for a P12-million project that aims to make business registration and market access easier for farmers and fisherfolk.

Through the recently opened Agribusiness Center, farmers and fisherfolk can go to just one place to gain information that they can use to improve their earnings, including new technologies and processed, as well as to explore the possibility of selling their products abroad.

The center, in the DA compound in Quezon City, will also serve as a venue for application for business name registration, certifications, permits and licenses.

To expose their products to the public, the center will likewise house a showroom, activity center, and cafe where the public can sample native recipes and delicacies, some cooked on the spot by local chefs.

The target is to make the Agribusiness Center a one-stop shop for farmers and fisherfolk, as well as a venue for networking among producers, buyers, and suppliers.

“With this partnership, DTI offers its facilities to the DA through its regional offices and its trade attaches abroad, (to provide farmers and fisherfolk with) learning opportunities and export facilitation,” Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo said in a statement issued yesterday.

“We work with the DA to ensure food security, to be self-sufficient, and to make food prices affordable to consumers,” Domingo added.

The DA aimed to eventually make the Agribusiness Center a window for all other regions in the country, to facilitate the growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises that are engaged in agriculture-related businesses.

According to government data, the food sector registered a 24.61-percent growth in the first four months, driven by the strong performance of the processed food and beverage, fresh fruits and vegetables, and marine products segments.

Aside from the DTI and the DA, other agencies involved in the Agribusiness Center project are the Departments of Agrarian Reform, Tourism, Science and Technology, and Environment and Natural Resources.

The Philippine Food Exporters is also involved in the project, representing the private sector.