Aboitiz aids Marawi farmers to become agripreneurs

MANILA, Philippines — Conglomerate Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. has provided farmers affected by the Marawi City siege with knowledge on local corn production to help them become agripreneurs.

Aboitiz Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of Cebu-based Aboitiz conglomerate, and its food unit Pilmico Foods Corp. trained 35 farmers in Marawi on corn production, which covered land preparation for crop utilization, crop management and yield improvement.

The group introduced a yellow corn production project aimed at assisting farmers of Iligan City’s Hindang Banana Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative (MPC) to become efficient agripreneurs following the decline in banana demand after the siege in Marawi City.

Under the partnership, MPC members were taught to plant corn, introduce new agri-related trends and  technologies and farm management strategies.

The project, covering five hectares of land, is projected to yield around 33 metric tons of yellow corn.

Aside from this, the Aboitiz Group will implement a separate project that will strengthen the organizational management of the cooperative.

“We wish for the success of this initiative and we look forward to being Pilmico’s yellow corn supplier,” Hindang MPC chairperson Larry Coracol said.

The Aboitiz Group has been providing training and coaching sessions, uniform, corn seeds and farm inputs to the participants.

It will also provide a pool of external trainers and experts who will work with the farming technicians to ensure proper technology transfer.

The project will monitor the production volume and quality based on the requirements of Pilmico.

“We hope that our activities will grow into something that translates to sustainable farming and agripreneurship,” said Maribeth Marasigan, Aboitiz Foundation first vice president and chief operating officer.

“Our goal is to ensure that the cooperative becomes stable, profitable and competitive in the years to come. This is aligned with the Aboitiz Group’s promise of advancing business and communities by co-creating safe, empowered, and sustainable communities,” she said.