CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) -- From starting with 75 heads of lettuce to kick off his micro hydroponics venture in 2018,  a 29-year-old man from northern Cebu turned it around; today, he has grown more than 4,000 heads and attributed the success of his hydroponics and aquaponics businesses to the Young Farmers Challenge (YFC) program of the Department of Agriculture (DA) 7.

Harold Olimba, a Mechanical Engineering graduate, used to be a regular employee of a construction company, but later realized that his interest lies in agriculture.

He left his job and followed his passion, never regretting his decision to embark on agri-business.

“Katong nag work pa ko, ang akoang income in a month, nakuha ra nako sa agriculture in 2-4 days. Mas maayo gani, nga samtang bata pa kamo, proceed mo into agriculture kay dako kayo sya’g demand,” Olimba said.

(When I was still working, my income in a month only took two to four days to earn in agriculture. It’s better if you are still young, you proceed to agriculture because it has a huge demand.)

YFC program

Olimba is one of the beneficiaries of the YFC program that DA implemented in 2021 to encourage the youth to engage in activities related to agriculture, agri-business, and agri-entrepreneurship as agents and partners for sustainable development. 

According to Dr. Lorelei Acha, DA7 chief of the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division, the program is a competitive financial grant for the youth who want to engage in new agri-fishery enterprises, either in production, processing, or digital agriculture.

“The grant can also serve as a start-up capital or to expand for planned agri-fishery enterprise, either as an individual or as a group-managed venture,” added Acha.

Interested youths from 18 to 30 years old with proposed agri-fishery business concepts, and enterprises with profitability potential are urged to apply to any of the four components of the program, namely: YFC Start-Up, YFC Upscale, YFC Intercollegiate, and Business Development Assistance. 

The financial grant differs per component. 

Under the YFC Start-Up, the competition has three levels with a corresponding grant assistance of P80,000 (provincial level) to P150,000 (regional level) and P300,000 (national level), which can help young agri-enthusiasts start or expand their agri-fishery business undertakings. 

Another program beneficiary, John Dave Tañola, 24, from Barangay Taptap, a mountainous area in Cebu City, said his advocacy on conservation and protection of wildlife such as bees earned his proposal a grant under the program.

“Nagtanom ta og strawberry for two main purposes para pagkaon sa bees ug kining produkto sa strawberry, fresh and coming soon nga by-product nga strawberry with honey. I am proud to say diay nga ang ato’ng entreprise mao ang pinakauna nga beekeeping diri sa Taptap ug ako pod ang pinakabata nga beekeeper diri sa tibook Cebu City,” said Tañola. 

(We planted strawberries for two main purposes, to provide food for the bees and the fresh strawberry produce, and coming soon will be the strawberry with honey by-product. I am proud to say that our enterprise is the first beekeeping in Barangay Taptap and I am the youngest beekeeper in the entire City of Cebu.)

Tañola urged younger generations to take part in the YFC program of the DA, because the community can also benefit from any agricultural undertakings.  

Since 2021, the DA has awarded 241 young agri-preneurs in the region with outstanding business models for agribusiness ventures. 

Of the total, Cebu has the highest number of beneficiaries at 113, followed by Bohol with 88, Siquijor with 24, and Negros Oriental at 16.

Acha, however, said one of the major challenges in the program implementation is the limited number of applicants, particularly for independent cities, despite the information drive conducted.

RDC7 support

The RDC7 Full Council, during its First Quarter Meeting, approved the resolution of the Economic Development Committee to enjoin the local government units, higher educational institutions, state universities and colleges, and civil society organizations through the Local People’s Councils in Central Visayas to provide activity support and participate in the YFC program of the DA.

Acha said the RDC 7 endorsement is a big boost to the program, as engaging the youth to pursue agricultural business endeavors and become active partners of the government to boost food production can help achieve food security and sustainability. 

“The program can also help address the aging and declining farm workers engaged in agriculture,” said Acha.

Meanwhile, Pres. Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., previously echoed that his administration will give priority to the agricultural sector, which is the backbone of the country’s economy, and reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring its productivity and reducing reliance on importation. (FCR/PIA7)