The Department of Agriculture-Agribusiness Marketing Assistance Division (DA-AMAD) has successfully facilitated contracts for the direct marketing, sale, and delivery of agricultural products to institutional buyers through its market linkage caravan. This initiative aims to help farmers enhance their production 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.
Recent contracts signed during the caravan include a 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. Additionally, the Tuba, Benguet coffee growers association will deliver coffee to the same buyers, while the Cacadcadaan Multipurpose Cooperative will supply assorted highland vegetables to Sunrise Premier Food Corp.
Negotiations are also underway for the delivery of 1,500 kg of radish between the Cada Hill Farmers Agriculture Cooperative and Sangkutsa Food Products Inc. The Rice Terraces Farmers Cooperative is in talks to deliver 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 noted. She emphasized that institutional buyers can specify their desired quality and quantity, making cooperatives essential for sustaining the supply needed by buyers.
With farmers producing the required quality and quantity, they can influence commodity prices, ensuring a market for their products. The caravan brought together 13 farmers’ cooperative associations and buyers from eight companies, including Sunrise Premier Food Corp., Leslie Corporation, and H and H Philippine Food and Beverages Corp.
This event served as a platform for farmers to showcase their heirloom rice, highland vegetables, and coffee products to potential partners, reaffirming the importance of inclusive agricultural development by helping farmers connect, negotiate, and grow their agribusinesses while ensuring buyers have access to high-quality, locally grown products.