The Department of Trade and Industry – Region 2 (DTI Region 2), Farm to Mayani Incorporated (MAYANI), and GPay Network PH Inc. (GrabPay Philippines) formally forged a tripartite agreement on 29 October 2020 to create broader market access to smallholder farmers, farmer cooperatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across Region 2 (Cagayan Valley Region) through e-commerce, financial technology, and agri-food supply chain innovation.
DTI Regional Director Leah Pulido Ocampo expressed her overwhelming gratefulness for the partnership and said that this will bring joy to many of our local MSMEs and farmers. The DTI Regional Director, who is a strong advocate of local products, recalled that it was only in July 2020 when DTI had a similar MOU signing with MAYANI, which initially catered to farmers of the region only. But today, with the coming of GrabPay Philippines, RD Ocampo is positive that it definitely will widen the reach and impact of the project through the inclusion of locally manufactured products of the region.
One out of six Filipinos has downloaded Grab App, which used to be for transport then for food delivery then for e-wallet, making it as Southeast Asia’s super app. “Region 2 has always been known as one of the country’s top food providers, playing an integral role in the food supply chain of millions of Filipinos. Creating better access to quality produce from all around the country continues to be our priority”, RD Ocampo added.
For this partnership, MAYANI will provide the enabling e-commerce platform that will allow the region’s farmers and MSMEs to sell their fresh and manufactured products to untapped markets while GrabPay Philippines will provide the integrated electronic wallet technology promoting safe and a cashless way of purchasing the region’s products. For the part of DTI Region 2, it will serve as the catalytic conduit that will facilitate MAYANI’s and GrabPay Philippines’ engagement with such groups of farmers and provide the necessary government support for this project.
“Even in these uncertain times, our mission in Mayani has stayed the same; help thousands of smallholder farmers lead better lives by changing how people buy their food through e-commerce. This partnership is another step in our efforts to bridge the gap between our own agro-entrepreneurs and potential customers in Metro Manila and eventually, all around the nation,” said JT Solis, Co-Founder and CEO of Mayani, which is also backed by the Asian Institute of Management-Dado Banatao Incubator.
On the other hand, Johnny Bates, Head of GrabPay Philippines eagerly remarked “As many of our communities look towards economic recovery, it is undeniable that digitalization and cashless payments adoption will remain key for micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses to thrive and be more resilient. Our partnership with DTI Region 2 and Mayani is a shining beacon of how GrabPay can help farmers and farming communities recover from the crisis and grow sustainably”.
This is the first partnership of MAYANI and GrabPay Philippines with a Regional Line Agency of the government which is hoped to be replicated nationwide in the future.
About 501 OTOPreneurs and 4,761 individual farmers in Region 2 is expected to initially benefit from this big project.♦
Date of Release: 24 November 2020