BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Agriculture-Agribusiness Marketing Assistance Division (DA-AMAD)’s market linkage caravan has yielded contracts for the direct marketing, sale and delivery of agricultural products to institutional buyers, allowing farmers to improve their production in terms of quality and quantity.
“The event aims to strengthen connections between local producers and institutional buyers, offering farmers direct access to better markets and fairer prices,” said Aida Pagtan, chief of the Administration and Finance division of the DA-Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), in an interview with the Philippine News Agency on Thursday.
Among the signed deals during the recent caravan are for the weekly delivery of 3,000 kg. of assorted highland vegetables by the Cada Hill Farmers Agriculture Cooperative in Mankayan, Benguet, to the Progressive Farmers of Zambales; delivery of coffee by the Tuba, Benguet coffee growers association, also to the Progressive Farmers of Zambales; and the delivery of assorted highland vegetables to the Sunrise Premier Food Corp. by the Cacadcadaan Multipurpose Cooperative.
Meanwhile, under negotiation is the 1,500 kg. of radish between the Cada Hill Farmers Agriculture Cooperative and the Sangkutsa Food Products Inc.
The Rice Terraces Farmers Cooperative also has an ongoing negotiation for the delivery of heirloom rice to the Progressive Farmers of Zambales.
“This is just the start because our AMAD is continuously doing activities aimed at promoting our farmers so that direct institutional buyers will be able to link up with them,” Pagtan said.
She said that with institutional buyers obtaining supply directly from farmers, they can request their desired quality and quantity, aside from the kind of commodity.
“This makes cooperatives more important because their members can help sustain the needed supply of the buyer, allowing them to regularly produce the requirement,” she said in relation to the consolidation of the produce of small farmers.
Pagtan said that with farmers able to produce the desired quality and quantity, they can dictate the prices of commodities, ensuring that farmers have market for their products.
The caravan gathered 13 farmers’ cooperative associations (FCAs) along with buyers from eight companies, including Sunrise Premier Food Corp., Leslie Corporation, and H and H Philippine Food and Beverages Corp.
It served as a platform for farmers to introduce their heirloom rice, highland vegetables, and coffee products to potential partners.
The caravan reaffirmed the importance of inclusive agricultural development by helping farmers connect, negotiate, and grow their agribusinesses while ensuring buyers gain access to high-quality, locally grown products. **Liza Agoot
