‘Inclusive agri key to growth’

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Title: ‘Inclusive agri key to growth’ Originally reported on www.manilatimes.net by Catherine S. Valente 20000756 – TECH NEWSer | 20000757 – Agricultural Technology | •| Tech |•| Newser |•| Technology | •| Agricultural |•| Technology |

GO Negosyo founder Jose Maria “Joey” Concepcion 3rd pushed for a more inclusive agriculture system to speed up recovery and inclusive growth.

Concepcion believed that small farmers will have a chance to grow and become successful in a more inclusive agriculture ecosystem with the help of private sector participation.

“Agriculture is key to the growth of the Philippines,” Concepcion said in a statement.

He added that a healthy agriculture industry would enable the country to better handle the food supply crisis, especially with the private sector’s participation through Kapatid Angat Lahat program, which aims to create linkages between big business and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to aid inclusive growth.

In line with the efforts of big businesses to help MSMEs in agriculture scale up and become more productive, an initial meeting was recently held to explore inclusive solutions to the food security problem.

The group comprised major players in Philippine agriculture, including Universal Leaf Phils. President Winston Uy; SL Agritech founder and Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. President Henry Lim Bon Liong; Bounty Fresh Chief Executive Officer Tennyson Cheng; W Hydrocolloids Inc. and Marine Resources Development Corp. Chairman Rosalind Wee; and Jose Cojuangco and Sons Chief Operating Officer Nando Cojuangco.

Among the suggestions drawn up during the meeting was to rebuild the agriculture value chain to make it more inclusive so that farmers are rewarded commensurate with the amount of work they do and the risk they take.

Addressing structural issues and outdated policies, consolidating idle land, and reducing volatility and mitigating it through better crop insurance were also proposed as factors that can help create a better foundation for private sector-led growth in agriculture.

The businessmen emphasized that small farmers could benefit from the scale, technology and best practices of big business, such as in meat processing and post-harvest processing of crops.

They said proper handling of produce and better logistical practices can reduce the high rejection rates of local produce and make them more profitable for vegetable farmers, who stand to earn more per square meter of land if they increase their productivity and improve their handling and logistical processes.

Former Piddig, Ilocos Norte mayor Eddie Guillen shared how raising agricultural productivity helped lower poverty incidence in his town from 40 percent to 9 percent.

Participants in the meeting also called for data-based and science-backed practices in agriculture, such as the improvement of the country’s databases on commodities, more focus on soil health particularly for crops like rice and sugar, and investment in weather planning.

Concepcion said small farmers should adopt an entrepreneur’s mindset.

“The driving force really is entrepreneurship. All the elements needed to successfully create a sustainable model are already practiced here: money, markets and mentorship,” he said.

Concepcion was referring to the three pillars that form Go Negosyo and its program dedicated to agripreneurship, Kapatid Agri Mentor Me Program, where big business participates in inclusive programs and cooperatives development.

“Our role here is programmatic and recommendatory,” said Ginggay Hontiveros-Malvar, Go Negosyo senior adviser for agriculture.

“The problems in agriculture are huge, and it is going to take every person in the [group] to provide suggestions,” she added.

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