PLDT Inc. said its employees have bought more than P2 million worth of rice from nearly a thousand rice farmers through its program that allows small-scale farmers to sell directly to consumers through a digital platform.
The company said in a statement that it has been able to help farmers to directly market their produce through its #BuyLocal program in partnership with a certain digital platform.
Under the program, PLDT and Smart employees in Metro Manila can buy rice directly from the farmers through its partner digital platform, providing farmers an assured market, according to the statement.
“So far, #BuyLocal has generated more than P2 million in revenues from the sale of more than 36,000 kilos of rice, benefiting almost a thousand farmers,” the statement read.
“The campaign has also raised P180,000 for the Buy Local sustainability fund intended to provide capital to small-scale farmers, which Smart will be turning over P100,000 to 20 farmer beneficiaries in Mindoro Occidental,” it added.
PLDT said the #BuyLocal Campaign is an offshoot of Smart’s Digital Farmers Program (DFP) in partnership with the Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) that “seeks to empower Filipino farmers by providing access to digital tools and technologies.”
PLDT added that the program aims to boost efficiency, productivity and marketability of farmers’ produce.
“These tools are most relevant since Filipino farmers face a lot of uncertainties. In the last quarter of 2020 alone, Typhoons Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses left more than P12 billion in damaged agriculture,” it said.
PLDT said the DFP partners with technology-savvy youth to help farmers access the digital space and establish a channel where they can exchange ideas.
“The basic DFP trainings are particularly useful to small-holder farmers who are unable to tap the vast resources of agriculture apps due to lack of basic digital knowledge. With the coronavirus pandemic creating a new normal, we need to empower our farmers with innovations that will help them live smarter for a better world,” said Stephanie Orlino, Smart Assistant Vice President for Community Relations.
The DFP has conducted 48 trainings in 47 municipalities for more than 1,200 farmers and youth, including 52 officers from the different DA-ATI offices, according to the company. PLDT added that the DFP has also produced 16 self-paced microlearning videos on basic ICT skills for farmers during the Covid-19 pandemic.