Organic farmers eye Korean market in Cebu
By Aileen Garcia-Yap
Cebu Daily News – Enterprise
July 13, 2010
Organic farmers in Cebu City's hillylands plan to tap the growing market of Koreans in Cebu who number almost 50,000.
While local farmers look for ways to do this, they need the help of market operators and the government for linkages and farm equipment.
“We know that there are many Koreans here and most of them eat vegetables. We just need help, said farmer Aladin Pagatpat of barangay Sudlon, in Cebuano.
For now, the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), a corporate-led foundation, is teaching barangay farmers how to use natural fertilizers.
“But we also need help in selling our produce straight to the Koreans,” said Pagatpat, one of the farmer beneficiaries of PBSP.
The group known as Sufaltas or Sudlon Farmers Livelihood Training and Services Foundation, are in charge of 600 hectares of land and produce organically grown egglants, tomatoes and chili.
Pagatpat uses natural methods of fertilizing his one-hectare farm, like vermicast or worm waste.
Member farmers avoid using synthetic or chemical fertilizers and genetically modified organisms to influence the growth of crops.
However, their produce is “70 per cent organic” and not 100 per cent because some vegetables like lettuce still use inorganic fertilizers such as potassium fertilizers right before harvest to prevent pest attacks.
Vermicast - the waste of nightcrawler worms tended in the farm - is usually applied during the early stages of growth.
Farmers also scatter reject vegetables like tomatoes on the ground to provide additional nutrients to the soil.
The group is tapping the Korean Association of Groceries in Cebu which sells vegetables important to kimchi-loving Koreans like radish and Chinese pechay.
Aside from the Koreans, Pagatpat said farmers see a potential large demand for organic produce from establishments like hotels and restaurants in Cebu.
“There is a big demand but we haven’t really sat down to discuss this with them,” Pagatpat said.
He said farmers hope the new Agriculture Secretary would give attention to farmers like them who need three things from the new administration: assistance in farm equipment, capital support and market access.
“We need the farm equipment to help us handle our produce. If they can arrange to let us loan the equipment, similar to how it was done in the cold storage project, that would be good. Most of us don't have any capital. We hope the government can give us access to loans,” he said.
For market access, he suggested a similar setup as the Kumprahan Supermerkado in Mandaue City where farmers can sell their produce directly in a well-planned market without have to to deal with middlemen.
This empowers farmers to have control over how they price their produce.
Nonencio Arcayan of Batallion Irrigators, a farmers group in barangay Tabunan, said infrastructure support is also needed like roads to ease delivery of the farm products.
Jon Ramos, chief organizer of Kumprahan Supermerkado, told Pagatpat that he is leaving for Manila soon because Department of Agriculture executives want to talk to him about the business model of the Kumprahan Supermerkado.
“They want this concept to be duplicated in other areas. I think they're already seeing this as a way to help farmers like you,” Ramos said.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Organic farmers earn more, but still seek help
Organic farmers earn more, but still seek help
By Katlene O. Cacho
Sun.Star Cebu – Business
July 13, 2010
Increases in farm output and income are among the benefits the farmers of Sudlon II and Tabunan have been enjoying since they gradually shifted from the inorganic to the organic type of farming.
This has also opened the way for both barangays to become vegetable suppliers of Kumprahan Supermerkado, an innovative community store that provides products at market prices art Bridges Town Square in Mandaue City.
Aladin Pagatpat, 34, a farmer of Barangay Sudlon II, said organic farming has allowed him to reduce production costs and increase income at the same time.
“I normally spent P2,000 for the production and earned a net income P4,000. But when I shifted to organic farming, my production cost went down to P900 and I earned a net income of P4,100 every harvest,” said Pagatpat during the Organic Farm Tour last Saturday.
Demand
This increased income was due in part to increased demand for organic products, as well as the elimination of the middlemen in the selling process.
Pagatpat is a member of the Sudlon Farmers Livelihood and Training Services Association (Sufaltras). He owns a hectare of land planted with high-value crops like lettuce, beans and tomatoes, among others. He said his vegetables are 70 percent organic and 30 percent inorganic.
Capt. Pricillo Alborez of Sudlon II said Sudlon farmers have slowly shifted to organic farming because of the growing demand for a healthy lifestyle among consumers.
He said the technology intervention of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) has helped farmers improve the quality of their vegetables, which they supply to the market. Sudlon II has about 2,000 residents whose primary source of living is farming.
PBSP, Alborez said, introduced vermicomposting, a process of producing
organic fertilizer (vermicompost) from biodegradable materials with the help of earthworms.
PBSP is the largest corporate-led social development foundation in the Philippines. It is the first of its kind in Asia, leading the promotion and practice of corporate social responsibility.
Loans
Despite the benefits of organic farming, farmers of both areas still need full support from the government in terms of the supply of farm equipment, loans and market access.
“We hope the Aquino administration will extend its full support to the farmers, especially in helping us market our products directly to companies or restaurants without having to course these through the middlemen,” said Alborez.
The farmer-members of the Battalion Irrigators Association of Tabunan have likewise asked for support infrastructure like road improvements to help them transport their goods to the market.
Tabunan is estimated to be more than 30 kilometers away from JY Square in the city proper.
By Katlene O. Cacho
Sun.Star Cebu – Business
July 13, 2010
Increases in farm output and income are among the benefits the farmers of Sudlon II and Tabunan have been enjoying since they gradually shifted from the inorganic to the organic type of farming.
This has also opened the way for both barangays to become vegetable suppliers of Kumprahan Supermerkado, an innovative community store that provides products at market prices art Bridges Town Square in Mandaue City.
Aladin Pagatpat, 34, a farmer of Barangay Sudlon II, said organic farming has allowed him to reduce production costs and increase income at the same time.
“I normally spent P2,000 for the production and earned a net income P4,000. But when I shifted to organic farming, my production cost went down to P900 and I earned a net income of P4,100 every harvest,” said Pagatpat during the Organic Farm Tour last Saturday.
Demand
This increased income was due in part to increased demand for organic products, as well as the elimination of the middlemen in the selling process.
Pagatpat is a member of the Sudlon Farmers Livelihood and Training Services Association (Sufaltras). He owns a hectare of land planted with high-value crops like lettuce, beans and tomatoes, among others. He said his vegetables are 70 percent organic and 30 percent inorganic.
Capt. Pricillo Alborez of Sudlon II said Sudlon farmers have slowly shifted to organic farming because of the growing demand for a healthy lifestyle among consumers.
He said the technology intervention of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) has helped farmers improve the quality of their vegetables, which they supply to the market. Sudlon II has about 2,000 residents whose primary source of living is farming.
PBSP, Alborez said, introduced vermicomposting, a process of producing
organic fertilizer (vermicompost) from biodegradable materials with the help of earthworms.
PBSP is the largest corporate-led social development foundation in the Philippines. It is the first of its kind in Asia, leading the promotion and practice of corporate social responsibility.
Loans
Despite the benefits of organic farming, farmers of both areas still need full support from the government in terms of the supply of farm equipment, loans and market access.
“We hope the Aquino administration will extend its full support to the farmers, especially in helping us market our products directly to companies or restaurants without having to course these through the middlemen,” said Alborez.
The farmer-members of the Battalion Irrigators Association of Tabunan have likewise asked for support infrastructure like road improvements to help them transport their goods to the market.
Tabunan is estimated to be more than 30 kilometers away from JY Square in the city proper.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
'Bagsakan' opens in Mandaue
'Bagsakan' opens in Mandaue
By Rebelander S. Basilan
Sun.Star Cebu
July 11, 2010
THE desire to promote a healthy lifestyle among Cebuanos and uplift the lives of local farmers has led a young investor to organize an innovative community store in Mandaue City.
Jon Ramos opened last May what he claimed to be the “first community market in the Visayas and Mindanao that provides products at `merkado’ prices and freshness.”
The Kumprahan SuperMerkado at the Bridges Town Square in Barangay Alang-Alang seeks to offer local farmers the opportunity to enjoy higher profit and the public the opportunity to “buy directly from farmers.”
Ramos said the store will be a place where consumers can buy organic fruits and vegetables.
Going organic
“We are inviting people to adopt a healthy lifestyle and go organic,” he said.
“Kumprahan SuperMerkado is a community market or a ‘bagsakan’ for organically-grown produce in Cebu. Our profit here is only incidental. We want this to spur economic development in the province,” he said.
The store also offers consumers a community membership card, so they can enjoy discounts.
Ramos said he aims to provide a 200-square meter area, or equivalent to 10 stalls, in the store where farmers can directly sell their products to buyers.
He said he is working on a partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Tourism to promote the One Town One Product program.
Ramos and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), a non-profit foundation, toured the media yesterday to the farms in Sudlon II and Tabunan, Cebu City.
Complaint
Nonencio Arcayan, who grows eggplants and flowers in Tabunan, lamented they don’t make enough profit selling in Carbon because of middlemen.
Ramos said the community market seeks to eliminate middlemen, who control the prices for the farmers’ produce.
Reggie Marie Barrientos, PBSP communications officer, said the foundation is committed to uplift the lives of farmers.
By Rebelander S. Basilan
Sun.Star Cebu
July 11, 2010
THE desire to promote a healthy lifestyle among Cebuanos and uplift the lives of local farmers has led a young investor to organize an innovative community store in Mandaue City.
Jon Ramos opened last May what he claimed to be the “first community market in the Visayas and Mindanao that provides products at `merkado’ prices and freshness.”
The Kumprahan SuperMerkado at the Bridges Town Square in Barangay Alang-Alang seeks to offer local farmers the opportunity to enjoy higher profit and the public the opportunity to “buy directly from farmers.”
Ramos said the store will be a place where consumers can buy organic fruits and vegetables.
Going organic
“We are inviting people to adopt a healthy lifestyle and go organic,” he said.
“Kumprahan SuperMerkado is a community market or a ‘bagsakan’ for organically-grown produce in Cebu. Our profit here is only incidental. We want this to spur economic development in the province,” he said.
The store also offers consumers a community membership card, so they can enjoy discounts.
Ramos said he aims to provide a 200-square meter area, or equivalent to 10 stalls, in the store where farmers can directly sell their products to buyers.
He said he is working on a partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Tourism to promote the One Town One Product program.
Ramos and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), a non-profit foundation, toured the media yesterday to the farms in Sudlon II and Tabunan, Cebu City.
Complaint
Nonencio Arcayan, who grows eggplants and flowers in Tabunan, lamented they don’t make enough profit selling in Carbon because of middlemen.
Ramos said the community market seeks to eliminate middlemen, who control the prices for the farmers’ produce.
Reggie Marie Barrientos, PBSP communications officer, said the foundation is committed to uplift the lives of farmers.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Lady jeweler shines in Netherlands tilt
Lady jeweler shines in Netherlands tilt
By Juan Escandor Jr.
Inquirer Southern Luzon
July 3, 2010
NAGA CITY – A plan of a costume jewelry business here to expand and systematize direct selling through the e-commerce and local networking recently won an international competition.
Marianne Olaño, owner and designer of Baycrafts Jewelry, dislodged four other finalists in the category retail business for women coming from the so-called emerging markets, in the Women in Business Retail Prize during the international Business in Development Challenge (BiD) held in The Netherlands from May 28 to June 5.
Her proposed budget is 18,000 euros (P1.45 million).
This year’s competition included another finalist from the Philippines, one from Colombia and two from India.
For winning the top prize in the BiD’s international event, Olaño received a certificate and 10,000 euros (P570,000) which will be used to implement the business plan she developed to improve the sales of the microbusiness and help women in the locality earn additional income.
In an article written by Susan Randall for www.bidnetwork.org, she noted the Philippines as a role model in empowering women in business, saying that “several women from the Philippines attending the session found it hard to relate to some of the obstacles faced by women elsewhere. They said that in their country, women commonly held strong positions of leadership in companies, and didn’t face such high obstacles when starting their own business.”
Randall continued: “In fact, the Philippines has been consistently ranked in the top 10 of the Gender Gap Index over the last four years (6 of the top 10 ranked countries located in northern Europe), and is also the highest ranking in Asian country.
This index, which is published every year by the World Economic Forum, quantifies the efforts of countries in narrowing and eradication the gap between men and women, based on data measuring Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment. Last year, the Philippines was one of only two countries in Asia (along with Mongolia) to have closed the gender gap on both health and education.”
Olaño, who arrived Sunday from Europe, was sponsored by the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and the BiD in The Netherlands.
“The BiD Challenge is an online business plan competition among enterprising ideas that combine profit with the improvement of living standards in a country,” according to an official release from the organizers.
Olaño says the main competition was the “pitch session” with three-member jury who grilled finalists for 30 minutes with their practical queries that tended to shoot the plan presented after a two-minute pitch.
She says she presented her two-minute pitch with her experience in putting up the Baycrafts Jewelry to the present selling strategy through e-commerce, trade fairs and direct selling.
Olaño explains her plan to harness the Internet through formalization of terms between direct sellers and the Baycrafts Jewelry regarding the products it sells, starting with website application where terms and conditions are stipulated for signing in to access other services like catalogues of products with brand and prices.
The information for members included other information like FAQ (frequently asked question) and other references, she adds.
Olaño estimates she still needs at least 8,000 euros (P456,000) to fully put her business plan in operation.
The plan includes expenses in updating and producing downloadable soft copy of the catalogue, ordering brand tags of the Baycrafts Jewelry, packaging materials and establishment of a center where she could conduct direct selling orientation for prospective women sellers.
She targets to provide incentives of 30-35 percent earnings to direct sellers of Baycrafts Jewelry products from the present earning incentive of 20 percent.
Olaño is the sole proprietor of Baycrafts Jewelry which she started four years ago after she quit her work in a department store in Manila and a media network.
She graduated cum laude in AB Development Communication at the Ateneo de Naga University in 1997 with a perspective to make it big in the media industry until she decided to shift career from news hen to an entrepreneur of custom-made jewelry using indigenous and synthetic materials such as pearls, wood, fiber, seeds, glass and crystals.
“We make one-of-a-kind fashion jewelry by buying beads from different sources and assembling them in our factory in Naga City. We also make our own components by mixing media such as seeds, textiles, fabric and etc.,” she reveals.
Olaño says her product market are women 30 years old and above who feel the need to become fashionable without busting their budget by the offer of the Baycrafts Jewelry’s one-of-a-kind accessories which are affordable and wearable.
At present, Baycrafts Jewelry has resellers in Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Baguio, Pangasinan, Leyte, Legazpi City and Iriga City as well as distributors in US, Canada and UK.
Olaño says with the business plan that won her the top prize in Women in Business Retail she hopes to grow from micro to medium enterprise by selling earrings, bracelets, necklaces, hair ornaments, rings and feet accessories.
By Juan Escandor Jr.
Inquirer Southern Luzon
July 3, 2010
NAGA CITY – A plan of a costume jewelry business here to expand and systematize direct selling through the e-commerce and local networking recently won an international competition.
Marianne Olaño, owner and designer of Baycrafts Jewelry, dislodged four other finalists in the category retail business for women coming from the so-called emerging markets, in the Women in Business Retail Prize during the international Business in Development Challenge (BiD) held in The Netherlands from May 28 to June 5.
Her proposed budget is 18,000 euros (P1.45 million).
This year’s competition included another finalist from the Philippines, one from Colombia and two from India.
For winning the top prize in the BiD’s international event, Olaño received a certificate and 10,000 euros (P570,000) which will be used to implement the business plan she developed to improve the sales of the microbusiness and help women in the locality earn additional income.
In an article written by Susan Randall for www.bidnetwork.org, she noted the Philippines as a role model in empowering women in business, saying that “several women from the Philippines attending the session found it hard to relate to some of the obstacles faced by women elsewhere. They said that in their country, women commonly held strong positions of leadership in companies, and didn’t face such high obstacles when starting their own business.”
Randall continued: “In fact, the Philippines has been consistently ranked in the top 10 of the Gender Gap Index over the last four years (6 of the top 10 ranked countries located in northern Europe), and is also the highest ranking in Asian country.
This index, which is published every year by the World Economic Forum, quantifies the efforts of countries in narrowing and eradication the gap between men and women, based on data measuring Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment. Last year, the Philippines was one of only two countries in Asia (along with Mongolia) to have closed the gender gap on both health and education.”
Olaño, who arrived Sunday from Europe, was sponsored by the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and the BiD in The Netherlands.
“The BiD Challenge is an online business plan competition among enterprising ideas that combine profit with the improvement of living standards in a country,” according to an official release from the organizers.
Olaño says the main competition was the “pitch session” with three-member jury who grilled finalists for 30 minutes with their practical queries that tended to shoot the plan presented after a two-minute pitch.
She says she presented her two-minute pitch with her experience in putting up the Baycrafts Jewelry to the present selling strategy through e-commerce, trade fairs and direct selling.
Olaño explains her plan to harness the Internet through formalization of terms between direct sellers and the Baycrafts Jewelry regarding the products it sells, starting with website application where terms and conditions are stipulated for signing in to access other services like catalogues of products with brand and prices.
The information for members included other information like FAQ (frequently asked question) and other references, she adds.
Olaño estimates she still needs at least 8,000 euros (P456,000) to fully put her business plan in operation.
The plan includes expenses in updating and producing downloadable soft copy of the catalogue, ordering brand tags of the Baycrafts Jewelry, packaging materials and establishment of a center where she could conduct direct selling orientation for prospective women sellers.
She targets to provide incentives of 30-35 percent earnings to direct sellers of Baycrafts Jewelry products from the present earning incentive of 20 percent.
Olaño is the sole proprietor of Baycrafts Jewelry which she started four years ago after she quit her work in a department store in Manila and a media network.
She graduated cum laude in AB Development Communication at the Ateneo de Naga University in 1997 with a perspective to make it big in the media industry until she decided to shift career from news hen to an entrepreneur of custom-made jewelry using indigenous and synthetic materials such as pearls, wood, fiber, seeds, glass and crystals.
“We make one-of-a-kind fashion jewelry by buying beads from different sources and assembling them in our factory in Naga City. We also make our own components by mixing media such as seeds, textiles, fabric and etc.,” she reveals.
Olaño says her product market are women 30 years old and above who feel the need to become fashionable without busting their budget by the offer of the Baycrafts Jewelry’s one-of-a-kind accessories which are affordable and wearable.
At present, Baycrafts Jewelry has resellers in Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Baguio, Pangasinan, Leyte, Legazpi City and Iriga City as well as distributors in US, Canada and UK.
Olaño says with the business plan that won her the top prize in Women in Business Retail she hopes to grow from micro to medium enterprise by selling earrings, bracelets, necklaces, hair ornaments, rings and feet accessories.
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