20 Farmers joins 3rd batch of Farm Business School of MAO

Farm Business School opens another batch to create new opportunities for local products.

The Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) of Manolo Fortich launched the third batch of the Farm Business School (FBS) last August 11, 2022 held at the Conference Room of the New Government Center. There were twenty farmers coming from the different barangays who participated in the FBS where they will undergo trainings.

According to Agricultural Training Institute Region 10 Administration and Finance Head Efren Macario, the purpose of FBS is to educate the farmers to process their on produce to act as additional income or as business. Macario is very happy that the Local Government Unit of Manolo Fortich made ways to implement the FBS in order to help the farmers in the locality.

Macario explained the variation of being a farmer and a business owner. According to him, farmers are those who grow corns and directly sell them to the market while those who grow corns to make corn chips or process them to corn oil are already considered as venturing into business. In that way, there will be a change in the product that they are harvesting as per the FBS program of the LGU.

Municipal Agriculturist Gemma G. Cania shared that despite the number of applicants who desired to join the training, there are only 20 farmers who were accepted in order to observe and maintain physical distancing in lieu of Covid-19 protocols. Cania praised batch 2015 of the program for their exemplar creativity in creating their own products such as the brewed coffee and pineapple tarts among others.

Cania added that in the year 2017, the second batch FBS training showed their abilities through their innovations in their showcased products such as the salvaro cassava chips, binaki with filling, bacon, vinegar herbs and many others. The farmers directly sell their processed products and display them in the Farmers Showroom fronting Manolo Fortich Central Station. Cania hopes that in the third batch this year, the participants can produce more product innovations from cacao, ginger, preserved goods and others. Moreover, Cania reiterated to the participants the importance of writing down notes, recording and understanding the lessons from the facilitators in the five-month training.

During the training, different sectors that could help and guide the participants in their product endeavors were mentioned such as experts in the field of high value crops, livestock and vegetables including the MAO personnel and other Government agencies. The Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture Vice Chairman Councilor Elzevir Dagunlay also attended the launching of the 3rd batch of the Farm Business School.

Farm Business School MAO Local Products