WESTERN VISAYAS, October 26, 2023 – Introducing the concept of value-adding among farmer groups for enterprise opportunities, the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program capacitated 540 farmers from 18 farmers’ associations (FAs) from August 8 to September 15, 2023.

The training aimed to develop their knowledge on processing and introduce the different by-products that can be made out of the raw materials from their livelihood projects ranging from crop to livestock and poultry production (Table 1).

In the series of training held, SAAD Alternate Assistant Focal Person Ms. Charmae Antipatia, Associate Project Officers Ms. Ivy F. Italia and Ms. Reah Garduce II, and Project Development Assistant I Mr. Riczan H. Galan served as resource speakers and led the conduct of the activity across eight SAAD municipalities.

During the discussion, they tackled the fundamentals of marketing and the 5Ps elements that comprises it – Product, Price, Place, Position, and Promotion. They also introduced the different marketing strategies necessary in the farmers’ venture towards enterprising such as direct and restaurant sales, labeling and packaging, promotion or advertising on local platforms, and involvement in trade fairs and exhibits.

Further, the members of each association were honed to adopt the conversion of surplus to marketable products for increased usability and to steer clear from product losses.

Table 1. Series of Value-Adding Training held in Phase 2 municipalities

(We were given additional ideas on how to manage our associations and how to gain income out of the products from SAAD projects. Aside from our toil and labor on the field, our venture on vegetable production, this [training] is of big help and an advantage for us farmers for we are equipped with new knowledge apart from what we already know.)

The conduct of the training is one of the many strategies of the program, under the Marketing and Enterprise Development (MAED) component, to prepare and equip the beneficiaries with necessary knowledge as future food processors and enterprise owners. ###

Writer: Cedie C. Bataga, SAAD 6 Information Officer