50 innovative young agripreneurs who presented their Business Model Canvas (BMC) were chosen and to be granted fund through the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Kabataang Agribiz Competitive Grant Assistance Program during the Youth Farmers Challenge held in Abra, Apayao, Baguio, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mtn. Province from July to August, 2021.
The program banks on the innovativeness of the youth that can contribute to the quality and sustainable agriculture in the Philippines. Out of the 50 qualified agriprenuers, 14 are from Benguet; nine (9) are from Ifugao; seven (7) each from Baguio, Kalinga, and Mtn. Province; 4 from Apayao and; 2 from Abra.
The Kabataang Agribiz Grant Assistance Program aims to encourage the younger generation to put up ventures in line with agricultural development and food production. The program will provide the young agripreneurs financial aid to support them in starting or continuing agriculture enterprises such as crop and livestock production, fisheries, trading, processing, integrated farming and agricultural technology.
Kabataang Agribiz focal person Jocelyn Beray said that the youth grant program has three levels—provincial/city, regional, and national level. Qualifiers for the provincial/city level will receive Php50,000.00; regional winners will receive Php150,000.00 and; national winners will be granted Php 300,000.00. Accordingly, the applicant who will be able to qualify at the national level will have a total accumulated grant award of Php500,000.00.
The young farmer winners of the first level challenge are to receive Php50,000.00 grant fund that they will utilize to implement their proposed businesses in the community. In total, Php2.5 million were given to the young agripreneurs.
“As a young agripreneur, the DA program is beneficial to me in turning my dreams into reality. I am more driven to pursue my farming career and through the grant, I will be able to start my agribusiness. To my fellow youth, remember that there is both income and fun in agriculture,” Melanie Lonod, one of the qualified youth agripreneur, said.
Regional Technical Director for Operations Dir. Danilo Daguio commended the youth for their interest in joining the program and he expressed his excitement to see innovations in the proposed agribusiness ventures of the youths that can contribute to the upgrade of agriculture in the country.
The applicants were judged based on their proposal’s entrepreneurial attribute, innovativeness, revenue stream, and value addition including five identified bonus criteria for judging. The judges also provided some tips on proposal presentation as well as recommendations for the improvement of the proposal itself.
The first-level awardees will undergo another judging with regards to their first two months of business implementation upon receipt of grant for the selection of Top 3 winners regionwide.
The qualified applicants from the different provinces and city of the region are expected to start their business implementation upon receipt of the financial grant. **DA-CAR
