OCCIDENTAL MINDORO, December 16, 2022 – The Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program MiMaRoPa trains 17 regional and provincial staff on marketing and organizational management as preparation for the Program’s Phase 2 implementation held in Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro.

The training held from December 6 to 7 aims to equip the staff, particularly the Area Coordinators (ACs), with marketing and accounting skills and ideas to assist the Farmers Cooperative and Associations (FCAs) create stronger market linkages.

In his welcoming remarks, Engr. Elmer T. Ferry, SAAD MiMaRoPa Regional Technical Director for Operations highlighted the importance of leadership and knowledge management skills of SAAD implementers on the success of the Program in the region.

“Mahalagang ma-develop ninyo ang [inyong] leadership skills…and knowledge management…dahil nagdadala tayo ng mga tao tungo sa kaunlaran,” (It is important that you hone your leadership skills…and knowledge management…because we are bringing people towards development) We have to be able to lead them,” Engr. Ferry said.

Mr. Rustom Gonzaga, DA MiMaRoPa Agriculturist II, led the discussion on marketing strategies such as Small Brother-Big Brother arrangement of DA-Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD). It is a strategy where small FCAs, identified as “small brothers” are clustered with big companies acting as “big brothers” to secure the market. One of the associations mentioned were the ube producers in Sablayan targeted to be linked with KLT Fruits Inc., as the big brother. The company manufactures various processed fruit products such as purees, concentrates, and jams with US, Japan, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Philippines as markets.

This is to prepare the extension workers with ideas to bridge new and existing SAAD associations to larger and secure marketing opportunities.

Basic bookkeeping was also discussed by Mr. Ruben Pagarigan, DA-AMAD Market Specialist II, to capacitate ACs in recording and tracking financial transactions and operational expenses geared toward teaching the FCAs practice bookkeeping to create transparency with the cash flow within the group.

Additionally, the training included an online discussion spearheaded by SAAD Program National Office which covered the standardization of the human resource manual for the Program’s Phase 2 implementation to help the regional and provincial offices define each staff’s role in the Program’s implementation in multiple provinces since its first phase only covers one (1) province. 

Writer: Dianne Francis A. Sy-Goremabalem, DA-SAAD MIMAROPA Information Officer

Sources: Maryleth Roxanne H. Gonzaga, DA-SAAD MIMAROPA Training Specialist,

Reymart G. Fernandez, DA-SAAD MIMAROPA IT Researcher Analyst.