By Danilo P. Padua, PhD
When I first heard what experts termed as Agri-Business Incubator (ABI), I got curious what it meant or what it is all about. I was then in India from Jan. to June, 2008 as a visiting scientist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) whose Director General at that time was Dr. William Dar, our immediate past Secretary of the Dept of Agriculture.
Then I was ushered into the ABI building where I was introduced to some of its ongoing activities. I was told that it was established five years earlier, in 2003. They had already trained a number of incubators for start-up businesses in terms of agribusiness promotion, skill development, technology commercialization, and incubation management, among others. They had, in turn, created thousands of jobs for the Indians.
Recently, ABI was awarded a National Entrep Award for its bold steps in entrepreneurship promotion in India. Within the last three years prior to its award, it had helped its incubators to file at least 12 patents and trade names in India.
The national government of India, including its Dept of Science and Technology, together with the State government of Andhra Pradesh, where ICRISAT is, are providing financial and other help to the institute to improve or scale up its ABI program in various parts of their country.
That short ABI backgrounder, serves as a help in appreciating what the Agribased Technology Business Incubator (ATBI) in BSU is doing.
BSU-ATBI was established in 2010, and one can say that its main template is that of ABI in India. That means, it is now existing for about 13 years. It has also trained hundreds of incubatees. It progressed through the years, thanks to the leadership of Dr. Ruth Diego who assumed its directorship from the beginning up to the present. She resisted any opportunity to assume higher positions in the university and elsewhere as she believes she could be more useful to the incubator program in helping farmers and other stakeholders.
Of course, the full support of the university administrations helped a lot in the march to its current very good situation.
Last Dec 28, 2023, ATBI held its Incubatees’ Product and Business Launching. The launching program in itself is a testament of the usefulness and effectiveness of ATBI’s trainings.
Featured in the launching are products of former incubates such as preservation or better packaging of kinuday, strawberry chutney, designed layered planting of vegetables, strawberry, and other annual crops out of iron or PVC pipes which are now being used by some planters. There are also newly-formulated liquid fertilizers which are in the homestretch of their registration with the Fertilizers and Pesticides Authority. Add to that the growth media developed by the incubatees which are very important in vertical farming.
There are now restaurant owners who are ordering plants grown from the said vertical farming system to supply them with those clean plants while still in the “pots”. They want their customers to see that they are doing something like “ fresh from the garden to the table scheme”.
All of the above products are winners, including the designed Styrofoam for hydroponics. They are available upon orders from the ATBI or directly from the makers/formulators.
What is another interesting point is that local entrepreneurs, especially in the La Trinidad and Baguio areas, are willing to help promote and sell the products of the incubatees.
During the launching program, the support of various sectors: from the BSU administration; LGUS; regional agencies such as DOST, DA, DTI, FPA; private entities such as Cooperatives, the Mangaywan corporation in Porta Vaga, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Baguio-Benguet chapter, Giant Arches Food Corporation of Mr. Michael del Rosario, and even the Association of Chinese Filipino Youth Inc.
In his short discourse, BSU Pres. Felipe S. Comila praised ATBI for its role in developing entrepreneurial people. “Business is the engine of development”, he said adding that he envisions that our tertiary curricula should be ‘entrepreneurialized’.
Municipal councilors R. Roda of Itogon, and Rachel Marcelo of Kapangan echoed their mayor’s support to ATBI. Roda exhorted the incubatees to never give up while Marcelo frankly stated that, “help yourself, so we can help you.”
For his part, Mr. Del Rosario advised those present to have the 3 Ps: passion to succeed, perseverance/persistense, and pray to God.
There were several others who also made short messages of encouragement and support to the incubates and to ATBI itself: Dr. J. Dati, BSU VP for research, Mr. J. O. D. Sy, Mr. F. Langpaoen, FPA CAR Field Officer, Mr. R. Tangid, MS. J. Bello, DA’s Mr. Nick Baucas, DTI’s E. Bagano, Dr. P. Rafael Jr. of CLSU and others that I can’t remember.
It seems that ATBI is on its way to becoming like the ABI of India. But first, Benguet and Baguio LGUs should consider providing financial support to the program, especially if they want some of their constituents to undergo training in the Incubator program.
ATBI could really become an instrument in leveling up the economic status of people in the locality as they could help in the creation of new jobs just like what happened in India.
Kudos to Director Ruth Diego and staff of ATBI.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE.
