Philfoodex inspires entrepreneurs at WESVARRDEC Technomart

By Isaac T. Abello

Staff

WESVARRDEC

"You eat with your eyes," said Emmanuel Reyes of Philippine Food Processors and Exporters Organization, Inc. (Philfoodex), speaking on product marketing, before the participants in the first regional Techno Gabay Summit and Technomart hosted by the Western Visayas Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (WESVARRDEC) in Iloilo City recently.

Admiring the products displayed in the summit, Reyes said that West Visayas has many agriculture products to be proud of but still needs some fine-tuning in order to make them more attractive to consumers and investors.

Reyes said that products must appeal to customers, quoting his Japanese colleague who said that “you eat with your eyes.” This means that products must satisfy the eyes first. They should first attract the customer visually.

“Dapat napakasarap o napakagandang tingnan ang product mo [Your product must taste delicious and look attractive],” Reyes said. A product that easily catches customers’ attention is well packaged. Therefore, packaging plays a vital role in selling and positioning of products.

MS Tubongbanua's mango process products (see photo) project the freshness and delicacy that cannot fail to attract the common buyer. (Photo by Geffrey Ian Galvez, FITS OPA Guimaras)

Reyes said that the merchandising of the products is also crucial, meaning that products should be properly placed or located in the display shelf of the grocery or department store in a way that they stand out in an attractive way in the display area.

Moreover, entrepreneurs should not produce anything if they don’t have the necessary and sufficient raw materials because they may not satisfy their clienteles and customers in the near term. For Reyes, one could only be successful if he has the passion of doing it.

Philfoodex, a non-stock non-profit organization of food manufacturers and exporters in the Philippines with more than 200 members to date, envisions being an internationally renowned Philippine food organization which adopts practices that contribute to environmentally sustainable businesses and enhance competitiveness in the global market to benefit members, employees, customers, stockholders and the community.

Philfoodex also seeks to work closely with industry partners and the government to sustain the country’s economic growth, monitor critical issues that affect Philippine Food sectors, and help government in its thrust on food security and abundance.

Philfoodex also helps the government in its thrust on food security and abundance. Their role is not only to sell the products but take care of the products and producers. Philfoodex calls this backward integration, in that they take care of farmers and producers because if there are no farmers who produce the products there will be no products to be exported.

PCARRD promotes PSF at regional TG summit

By Isaac T. Abello

Staff

Science in every product, value addition, market and industry-driven, analysis and market matching, networking and clustering. What do these terms have in common?

They are keywords to Pinoy Science and Technology for Farmers and Entrepreneurs (PSF), the new modality of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD).

During the Regional Techno Gabay Summit and Technomart led by the Western Visayas Agriculture and Resources Research Development Consortium (WESVARRDEC) at the Amigo Plaza Mall recently, Dr. Arturo Argañosa, officer-in-charge of PCARRD’s Technology Outreach and Promotion Division (TOPD) announced the new PCARRD program.

According to Argañosa, while commerciable products are the endpoint of research and development, the inadequate supply of quality raw materials, lack of markets and, lack of access to S&T information and technology are basic problems that should be addressed if we are to attain a science-based enterprise.

Under the new modality, the Science and Technology-based Farm (STBF) is from where the supply of raw materials come. Assisted by the partner member agency and led by the Magsasaka Siyentista, the STBF involves the identification and application of Science and Technology interventions for identified focus commodities in order to increase productivity and produce quality products.

Technomart, meanwhile, involves fast-tracking the movement of S&T products from source to the markets, using a variety of rolling up strategies in partnerships with business organizations in the government and private sectors. This involves products and marketing activities that cover product marketability assessments, product promotions, product research and development, value addition and creation, technology transfer and value-chain analysis.

The One-Stop Information Shop (OSIS) will facilitate the information and technology on the S&T involved. Involving strategic communication integrating IEC-ICT partnerships and networks with facilities like the regional/provincial OSIS, showrooms and business hubs, OSIS is the venue for discussions on products, knowledge sessions, market matches & business mentoring, media conferences & product advocacies.

“Business knowledge key to enterprise development”–PCARRD

By Isaac T. Abello, Staff

Regional Applied Communications Group (RACG)

WESVARRDEC

During the Regional Techno Gabay Summit and Technomart sponsored by the Western Visayas Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (WESVARRDEC) at the Amigo Plaza Mall in Iloilo City recently, Prof. Cesar Frias, assistant director of the Applied Communications Division (ACD) of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), shared key insights for business and marketing.

Speaking before farmer producers, farmer scientists, researchers, extension workers and other stakeholders from across Western Visayas, Frias stressed that being an entrepreneur or agri-preneur requires one to have the basic knowledge before engaging or committing in any type of enterprise—small or big. For Frias, it is imperative that aspiring entrepreneurs be equipped with business intelligence to avoid failures and lapses.

PCARRD ACD Assistant Director Cesar Frias (right) updates information on mango processing technology by MS Rebecca Tubongbanua (left) during the Techno Gabay Summit. According to Frias, PCARRD deems business intelligence important in enterprise building

According to Frias, food industry should be priority concern because it is one of the biggest sector contributors in our economy, even as food is everyone’s fundamental resource. Frias added that agriculture is “the central and foundational craft of economies.”

Citing the four aspects of marketing—product, price, distribution, and marketing, the PCARRD ACD assistant director said that individuals or groups venturing into business must consider quality ingredients and comprehensive research and development as primary factors to attain and produce worthy products.

While innovation and packaging of products are also crucial to product development, market scenarios and trends should also be considered. These include consumer preferences like the fortification of food with vitamins and other healthy ingredients, organically produced and new flavor introduction. To best distribute the products, Frias cites neighborhood stalls, small stores, open market, and supermarkets as the best outlets to sell them.

The regional Technomart was joined by the consortium’s Partner Member Agencies (PMAs) and Farmer Information Technology Services (FITS) Centers across the region.

Be organic agripreneurs, Western Visayas farmers urged

By Vishia Mae Tolcidas

Representative, FITS OPA Negros Occidental

Regional Applied Communications Group (RACG)

WESVARRDEC

Be agri-preneurs; there’s money in organic farming”—such was the encouragement of established agri-preneur and organic farming practitioner Ramon Dayrit Peñalosa, Jr. in the forum titled Business Opportunities in Organic Farming during the first Regional Techno Gabay Summit and TechnoMart held on May 25–26, 2011 at Amigo Plaza Mall in Iloilo City.

MR ORGANIC
MS Ramon Peñalosa keeps his fingers crossed
for the future of organic agriculture the province.
For the farmer scientist, after having started
to convert 10% of its agricultural lands to organic,
Negros Occidental is on its way to being the top producer
of organic products in the country—
and eventually, the Organic Bowl of Asia.

The Magsasaka Siyentista (MS) of the Farmers’ Information and Technology Services (FITS) Center based in the province of Negros Occidental, Peñalosa urged fellow farmers to consider farming as a business venture.

According to MS Ramon Peñalosa, “as farmers, we should be entrepreneurs. Farmers should be the one to create the demand, and satisfy it.” Peñalosa said natural farming is a global irreversible concern in all fields of business because it has grown to more than USD80 billion annually from only USD20 billion five years ago.

MS Peñalosa believes that while people react against synthetics for health and environmental reasons, going natural is the wave of the future. The farmer scientist expressed optimism, saying, “Mother Nature and Father Business can rock-and-roll in a natural, sustainable, and replicable way.”

Sponsored by the Western Visayas Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (WESVARRDEC), the summit gathered some 300 participants composed of farmer scientists, agricultural extension workers and technology and marketing experts.

One of the components of Pinoy S&T (Science and Technology) Services, a banner program of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (PCARRD-DOST), TechnoMart brings S&T-based products from the farm to the market, farm to the kitchen, and farm to the table.

ASU’s info specialists trained on writing IECs

By Salvacion Villasis

Representative

Regional Applied Communications Group (RACG)

Aklan State University

It’s all about skills enhancement.

To train their Information Service Specialists (ISS) and office staff on preparing information, education and communication (IEC) materials, the Aklan State University Extension and Community Services (ASU-ECS) hosted the Training on IEC Materials Development on May 18–19, 2011 at their Research & Development Conference Room in Banga, Aklan.

Seven Information Service Specialists (ISS) representing the Farmers Information and Technology Services (FITS) Centers in Aklan including that of Libertad, Antique were trained by Dr. Cora Navarra, Regional Applied Communications Coordinator of the Western Visayas Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (WESVARRDEC) and Mr. Niño Manaog, Extension Associate of the Capiz State University (CapSU). A number of participants from ASU's research and extension offices also attended the lecture-workshop.

INFORMATION SOCIETY
Through writeshops, the information service specialists of ASU are given hands-on opportunities to accomplish the required output even as they are highly encouraged to present their individuality and creativity in the materials they produce.

For two days, Navarra and Manaog initiated discussions and facilitated interactions on process documentation and developing, designing and packaging of IEC materials. In a crash course designed by the resource speakers, participants were taught how to write quick information dispatches (QID) more effectively. They were also made to appreciate the basics of publication particularly in writing, preparing and lay-outing brochures and tarpaulins.

According to Navarra, activities such as this allow WESVARRDEC to effectively reach out to its partner member agencies (PMAs). For Navarra, they do not only indicate an active working relationship between the consortium and the PMAs but also provide more avenues for collaboration and achievement.

The initiative was conceptualized by Techno Gabay Team Leader, Dr. Clyde Abayon and fully supported by Dr. Anna Mae Relingo, vice-president for research, extension and training, who is also WESVARRDEC’s regional Techno Gabay coordinator.

According to Dr. Abayon, the skills gained by the participants from the training are expected to help in the production of more IEC materials for the FITS centers and document the technologies and practices of their Magsasaka Siyentista (MS). For Abayon, the training is ASU’s response to the growing need for agriculture information by farmers and other clients.

At the end of the two-day workshop, participants produced information and materials on their FITS Centers and the technologies of their MS. Then, the ASU-ECS produced tarpaulins, brochures and other materials which were later used in their participation during the Regional Techno Gabay Summit held in Iloilo City in the last week of May 2011.

FACILITATORS AND PARTICIPANTS

University Extension Associate Niño Manaog (seated, first from left) of the Capiz State University and Dr. Cora Navarra (seated, third from left), Regional Applied Communications Group (RACG) Cooordinator of WESVARRDEC, led the participants to writing and publication for their ASU Techno Gabay Team.