Ladies and gentlemen, magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat!

Nais po naming iparating ang aming mainit na pagsalubong sa lahat ng nariririto ngayon sa paglulunsad ng Agri Negosyo Para sa OFWs program—ito pong program ay talagang para sa OFWs. Sana po lahat kayo ay nag-iingat at sumusunod sa health protocols at standards na ipapatupad ng ating pamahalaan para panatiliing ligtas ang lahat mula sa COVID-19.

Today’s virtual launch signals the whole-of-government’s approach in the program’s regional roll-out to five pilot regions and to all the regions nationwide later. This program is being implemented under the Sub Task Group on Agribusiness (STGA), co-chaired by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Agriculture (DA), and supported by other member-government agencies.

More importantly, this program will support the directive of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to intensify assistance to our people affected by the economic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this will help our Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and displaced workers, particularly our kababayans returning home from work abroad due to the pandemic.

As of January, about 569,462 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) have already been repatriated to the country, with projections that some 100,000 more will be returning in the coming months. Aside from Metro Manila, karamihan sa ating mga countrymen are returning home and they are based in Cavite, Batangas, Bulacan, Laguna, Cebu, Iloilo, Rizal, Pangasinan, and Pampanga. Thus, to be able to reach as many of you as we can, we are implementing this program in five pilot regions: Regions I, III, IV-A, VI and VII. These are the provinces with the biggest number of our repatriated kababayans are located.

Ang programang ito po ay may dalawang pangunahing layunin. Ang una po ay ang matugunan ang agarang pangangailangan ng ating bumalik na mga kababayan na magkaroon ng pagkakakitaan pagkabalik nila sa ating bansa. Ang pangalawa naman po ay ang mabago ang agriculture sector patungo sa isang modern, high-value agribusiness na magpapatibay sa food value chains at magsisiguro sa abot kaya at masustansiyang pagkain para sa ating mamamayan. Si Secretary Dar po ang Chairman natin ng Food Security at nakikita po ng kanya mga miyembro (kasama po tayo doon) na importante na palusugin natin ang Agrikultura. Sila ang mga nag-produce ng mga mahahalagang bagay mula sa plants, crops, at iba pang agricultural products. Ito naman pinoproseso upang maging high-end value. Kaya po integrated itong agribusiness. Ito naman po ang magbubukas ng daan para sa mga regional industrialization at tutulong sa national growth and development.

We would like to reiterate the importance of implementing a program that focuses on agribusiness at this time, given how the pandemic has shifted the focus on the role of agriculture in Philippine economy. That’s why we’ve placed its development at the forefront of the national thrust to fast-track our country’s recovery from COVID-19, as well as makaka-reduce ng poverty at makaka-attain ng mas inclusive growth, ibig sabihin po ay sama-sama tayong makaka-attain ng mas magandang buhay.

The good news is, now is the best time to invest in agribusiness. Ito pong pandemic ay nagpakita ng resilience ng ating agriculture sector. Siya po ay isang sector na nagpakita ng growth, lumago pa po siya kahit sa panahon ng pandemya. Kahit na-challenge lang po ng last quarter, dahil sa mga bagyo, unfortunate events, mga typhoons, at pag-erupt ng Taal Volcano. At least maganda ang pinakita ng agriculture, dahil when it comes to the industry and services sector, talagang tinamaan ng pandemya at nagkaroon tayo ng negative growth. Subalit with the positive growth in agriculture, ang ating pong ekonomiya ay unti-unting umaahon mula sa napakalaking decline brought by the pandemic.

With this in mind, the government is prioritizing agriculture—but this time, the focus is not just on production but the entire value chain, pati ‘yung pagproseso ng mga agriculture products na mas magbibigay ng mas magandang income para po sa farmers, at the same time ang binebenta po natin ay high valued agriculture products.

Sa parte naman po namin, ang Department of trade and Industry (DTI) ay patuloy na itinataguyod ang kaunlaran ng MSMEs sa bansa bilang pagsunod sa mandato ng Presidente. Nakapagtatag na po tayo ng 1,166 Negosyo Centers sa mga malalayong dako sa mga probinsya at mga munisipalidad sa buong bansa, kung saan ang kahit sino mang interisadong magsimula ng negosyo ay maaaring lumapit upang matulungan, na wala pong binabayaran. As of February 28, mayroon nang natulungan na 2.1M MSMEs ang mga Negosyo Centers natin. Mayroon din po tayong Shared Service Facilities (SSFs) program na nagbibigay ng processing equipment para magamit ng MSMEs na kabilang sa priority industry clusters. Mayroon na tayong 2,782 SSFs nationwide na nakatulong sa almost half a million o 440,000 plus beneficiaries and nakapagbigay ng 239,436 jobs.

In partnership with local government units, DTI is bringing government services closer to the people through the Livelihood Seeding Program. Ito po ‘yung Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay (LSP-NSB).  Isa rin pong program ng DTI, kung saan puwede po tayong makapagbigay ng mga livelihood kits. So far po ay nakapagbigay na tayo ng more than 27,262 livelihood kits. Ito po ‘yung puwedeng paninda or gamit sa paninda, para makapag-umpisa ng negosyo.

Moreover, DTI is working with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in building Regional Inclusive Innovation Centers (RIICs) that connect and integrate the innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem of the country. Currently, there are four pilot RIICs: Legazpi in Region V for pili; Cebu in Region VII for advanced manufacturing; Cagayan de Oro in Region X for processed food; and Davao in Region XI for functional food.

Mayroon din po tayong isa pang programa, ang Rural Agro-Enterprise Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth (RAPID Growth) Project to support 78,000 farming households and improve the productivity and competitiveness of 1000 plus na MSMEs, ka-partner rin po syempre dito ang Department of Agriculture (DA), The project provides value chain-based and climate-smart assistance and financing to agriculture-based MSMEs in pilot regions. Lalo na po sa mga partner natin sa Regions VIII, X, XI and Caraga and for priority clusters like cacao, coffee, coconut, and processed fruits and nuts.

These are among the many government programs available po sa ating mga OFWs and non-OFWs na gustong pumasok sa mga agribusiness. We have programs and services designed specifically for OFWs as well. DTI, through our Small Business Corporation (SBCorp.), implements the P3 HEROES (or Helping the Economy Recover thru OFW Enterprise Start Ups) Program. Ito po ay puwedeng lumapit kayo sa DTI or sa Small Business Corporation na namamahala dito sa programang ito. As of March 15, they’ve released a total of Php9.6M from funds allocated from the BAYANIHAN 1 and 2.

For easy reference, nagtulong-tulong po ang DA, DOLE, DOST, TESDA at DTI para i-compile sa Agribusiness Portfolio, a publication that serves as a guide in starting an agribusiness. Napaka ganda po itong preferential material ninyo at ito po ay available din po online.

The concerted efforts of the government agencies to aid our people have already resulted in many successful entrepreneurial stories. For example, there is the Tanudan Savings and Lending Cooperative (or TASALECO), a lending institution that transformed into a leading MSME engaged in coffee processing in Tanudan, Kalinga. Meanwhile, the Venado Black Pepper made by the United Workers Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Multipurpose Cooperative in Isabela City, Basilan has gotten the group into local, regional, and national trade fairs, and they’ve expanded their market nationwide.

Sa pag-roll-out ng progamang ito, nais po naming itatag ang pagsasama-sama dito ng government agencies, na susundan ng pagbuo ng Team Agri-Negosyo na may mga kinatawan mula sa iba’t-ibang ahensiya. Ito rin ay magsisilbing hudyat ng pagbabago sa pamamaraan kung papaano natin ipinapaabot ang mga serbisyo sa ating mga kababayan, dahil ang mga programang ito ay ihahandog sa ilalim ng isang bubong at kasama sa ilalim Agri-Negosyo Para sa OFWs progam. Ito po ay magiging sistema ng kolaborasyon na magdudugtong ng national sa regional at provincial levels.

While now is the best time to invest in agribusiness, integration is the key in realizing our common vision of a vibrant agribusiness sector. Through this portfolio, we are ensuring a convergence of government effort.

Nais din po namin kayong bigyan ng isang mainit na pagtanggap—ang ating mga kababayan na ang serbisyo sa ibang bansa ay naging importanteng haligi sa kaunlaran ng ekonomiya ng Pilipinassa pagbibigay sa inyo ng mga trabaho at oportunidad na makapag-hanapbuhay para makapagsimula ulit. Tulad ng pangako ng Presidente sa panata ng Tapang at Malasakit, ang pamahalaan po ay narito para tulungan kayong makamit ang isang mas komportable at mas maunlad na buhay na hindi na kinakailangang umalis pa sa inyong mga tahanan at iwanan ang inyong mga mahal sa buhay.

Maraming salamat po at mabuhay tayong lahat.

Date of Release: 19 March 2021