Senator Imee Marcos on Wednesday enticed the youth to venture into agri-fishery and livestock innovations through an invitation to participate in the Young Farmers Challenge (YFC) program.
The YFC program is a competitive financial grant assistance of the Department of Agriculture (DA) intended to bring back Filipino youth to agriculture by providing access to capital for possible ventures into agriculture, agri-fishery, agribusiness and agri-entrepreneurship enterprises. It also provides business development assistance.
Since 2021, a total of 3,625 YFC beneficiaries have been operating their agribusiness enterprises in 1) production (crop production, poultry, livestock, aquaculture, vermiculture, urban agriculture, horticulture); 2) food processing (chocolate, mushroom by-products, processed vegetables, processed fruits); 3) digital agriculture; and 4) supply chain business solutions.
The YFC has also monitored 219 enterprises, held local trade expositions and exhibitions, and Kadiwa activities.
In 2023, out of 4,812 applicants nationwide for the Start-Up category, there were 496 provincial awardees; 48 regional awardees for the Upscale category; and 14 enterprises from state universities and colleges (SUCs) for the Intercollegiate Competition.
In a media interview after the launching of the rice paddy art in Batac City, Ilocos Norte that features her as an advocate of agricultural development, the former Ilocos Norte governor expressed hope that through the YFC program, the youth will be encouraged to get into the agriculture sector that is now more profitable through the use of advance science and technology.
“I am deeply honored to be featured in the project. It not only celebrates my work but also pays tribute to the dedication of Filipino farmers and the future of agriculture,” she said.
The senator underscored the need to make agriculture a profitable enterprise to entice the youth, otherwise, the country will continue to lose workers in the agriculture sector as most farmers are now aging.
She noted that the average age of Filipino farmers now is between 57 and 59 years, and cited Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showing that the agriculture and forestry sub-sector recorded the largest drop in annual decreases in the number of employed persons in March 2024 at 881,000. (Leilanie Adriano)
(Source: Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte)