OFWs urged to venture into agribusiness

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has launched a program aimed at encouraging returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), particularly those from Korea, to venture into agribusiness.

In a statement over the weekend, the DA said its Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS) has partnered with the Department of Labor and Employment Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (DOLE-OWWA) for the international launch of DA-DOLE Micro AgriKabuhayan para sa Balikbayan Program in Korea.

“We created the Micro AgriKabuhayan program to support OFWs, providing them alternative sources of livelihood while promoting agriculture and agribusiness development in the country,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar said in a video message.

Under the program, OFWs will acquire knowledge on starting and running their chosen businesses through training and seminars.

It also teaches them how to earn and sell the products.

The launch was participated in by resource speakers from DA, AMAS, Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), and Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC), Landbank of the Philippines, and OWWA, who presented the various government assistance offered under the program.

Among these include training, assistance to agri-production and processing, marketing, and financing support for aspiring overseas Filipino agripreneurs.

The first international launch of the program was in coordination with the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, particularly through its Promoting Entrepreneurship and Agribusiness to Filipinos in Korea (PEAK Pinoy) program.