DTI, Pilmico tie-up to help backyard farmers grow

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Pilmico Foods Corp. are partnering to support the growth of small-scale agriculture-based enterprises in the country, particularly those involved in food, swine, and poultry businesses. (Photo by shankar s./Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

MANILA — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Pilmico Foods Corp. are partnering to support the growth of small-scale agriculture-based enterprises in the country, particularly those involved in food, swine, and poultry businesses.

DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez and Pilmico Chief Executive Officer Sabin Aboitiz signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) Friday, linking Pilmico’s flagship program Mahalin Pagkaing Atin with the agency’s Negosyo Centers.

Aboitiz said Pilmico wants to tap the network of entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs to expand its Mahalin Pagkaing Atin program through DTI’s over 800 Negosyo Centers nationwide.

Under the partnership, Pilmico — the food subsidiary of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc.

— will be providing trainings in food, swine, and poultry business.

“With our DTI partnership, Mahalin Pagkaing Atin beneficiaries can now level up their business game. They will get training and seminars on how to grow their business,” said Aboitiz.

Aboitiz added that these trainings will help backyard farmers to become more competitive in the market.

Topics included in its trainings are livestock raising and animal nutrition, basic and advanced baking, microfinancing, and packaging and  labelling.

For his part, Lopez said the partnership is in line with DTI’s thrust of Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan or providing jobs, business, and livelihood opportunities to Filipinos, particularly in the countryside.

He said with the support from the private sector, this empower people in rural areas to engage in more economic activities.

Pilmico’s Mahalin Pagkaing Atin started in 2014 visiting 36 cities and municipalities in 24 provinces in the country.

Under the program, the company has benefitted 857 individuals and cooperatives with livelihood kit which include 988 piglets, 18,576 ready-to-lay hens, 52 bakery starter kits, and four hog scales.