LIPA CITY, Batangas – The Department of Agriculture (DA) has urged farmers to first scout for prospective markets for their crops to avoid oversupply.
In an interview on Thursday, Richmond Pablo, the DA’s Agribusiness Promotion Section Chief in Calabarzon, said many farmers cause oversupply because they fail to do market research and end up growing crops that many other farmers are already cultivating.
“Marketing, from what I see in the field, is selling a product with a market. You will not sell a product because you have too much. That means, plan first if there is a market before you start producing,” he said.
According to Pablo, the mandate of the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) is provided under the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act.
The unit’s task is to collaborate with private sectors and government agencies, including the DA and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), for the access of the farmer groups on information regarding marketing.
"If you see trucks on the road with the logo of 'Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita,’ it is one of the Department of Agriculture's projects in AMAD," said Pablo.
‘Kadiwa ni Ani at Kita’ is a collaborative project of the DA launched in 2019, which aims to establish a direct link between the farmers/fisherfolk and the consuming public.
The AMAD also provides financial grants to farmer cooperatives and associations wherein they can propose logistics support, such as trucks, walking capital, tools, and retail equipment.
Furthermore, AMAD also grants accreditation to truck operators to be exempted from the truck ban implemented in Metro Manila.
“This will speed up your product transit from Calabarzon, in partnership with the PNP-HPG (Philippine National Police - Highway Patrol Group, MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority), and DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government). If you are accredited, your time at the checkpoints will be reduced," Pablo added.
He noted that AMAD also provides investment guides to individuals who are interested in venturing into business through agriculture.
“AMAD is not just providing capital and training. If you are interested in agriculture, we also have investment guides that aspiring agri-entrepreneurs can look at to see what the products are and how much you can earn,” he said.
According to Pablo, AMAD also has pop-up stores or retail outlets that farmer groups can access to sell their products.
He said while the challenge of marketing persists, AMAD shall continuously teach the farmers to consolidate and plan the production of their crops to reduce oversupply in the market and eliminate wastage in the production process. (PNA)
