Account Officer Laniebel I. Garay of LBP – South Lending Center presents the eligibility requirements and features of the various credit programs of the LBP that the farmers can benefit from.
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur - A total of 15 Agricultural Extension Workers (AEWs) and Learning Site for Agriculture (LSA) cooperators and representatives successfully completed the three-day training entitled Write Right: Training on Project Proposal Writing which was conducted by the Agricultural Training Institute – Regional Training Center 13 on April 28-30, 2021 at Mabe’s Savory Place, San Francisco, Agusan del Sur.
Development Management Officer II/Project Officer Mary Jane A. Gonzaga mentioned that the training was designed to help the farmers especially the LSA cooperators avail themselves of the various financing interventions and credit programs of the government. One of these is the loan and grant program in partnership with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) through the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF) which aims to provide necessary credit to farmers and fisherfolk and their associations or cooperatives to increase productivity and reduce their production cost. Aside from ACEF, Account Officer Ms. Laniebel I. Garay of LBP – South Lending Center introduced other credit programs such as the Expanded Rice Credit Assistance under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ERCA-RCEF), Accessible Funds for Delivery to ARBs program, Sikat Saka and Sulong Saka Program.
Victor Emmanuel A. Ozzaraga, Ph.D., Consultant of Gawad Kalinga Development Foundation, Inc. shared his technical expertise on the basics of business plan development and the importance of farm business planning. He emphasized that farm owners must understand the value of his farm, his farm background and identify the key success indicators as the basis in formulating strategies to achieve their goals. Ozzaraga said that strategies should be anchored on the farm’s strength. He also shared some tips in proposal writing and enumerated the elements of a winning proposal. Meanwhile, OIC Chief of the Partnership and Accreditation Services Section (PASS) Engr. Matt Andrew G. Baquiano encouraged the trainees to maximize all available resources in the farm and eventually improve their farm into an agri-tourism site.
The participating LSAs were the following: Pax Nature Farm, Baroa Organic Farm, Farmers Alternative for Self-Reliance Multi-Purpose Cooperative (FASRMCO), St. Thomas Micro Farm Learning Center, Mondia La Ferme, and R.G. Farm and Learning Site. They were partnered with the respective Agricultural Extension Workers (AEWs) from the Municipal/City Agriculturists Office of Esperanza, Talacogon, Veruela, Sibagat and Bayugan City, and the Provincial Agriculture and Veterinary Office.
At the end of the training, the participants developed and presented six business plans as their final output of the AEW-LSA tandem.