FPJ Panday Bayanihan Partylist First Nominee Brian Poe encouraged Filipino youth to invest in farming and agriculture as a viable business opportunity.
“With a growing youth population in the country, the agriculture sector offers a great potential for generating youth employment and business opportunities,” Poe said.
Poe shared the success stories of the Binhi ng Pag-Asa Program (BPP) in partnership with the Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI).
The program seeks to empower the youth by enhancing and strengthening their leadership and values toward agripreneurship.
Beneficiaries of the program are provided with agricultural starter kits, modules and capacity-building activities.
BPP conducted its 5th national summit and year-end assessment on Nov. 29, 2024 at Swiss Bel Hotel Blue Lane in Manila.
About 100 youth beneficiaries from Tarlac, Laguna and Oriental Mindoro provinces gathered for the event. Present during the summit were assistant central director Antonieta Arceo and the regional directors from Regions 3, 4-A and 4-B.
During the summit participants shared their journey to success, pitched agricultural projects and showcased their respective produce through the trade fair.
They also bared their gains from the program and plans for the future.
“Bilang kabataan, ang pangarap ko hindi lamang para sa akin kundi sa kapwa ko. Sana maisulong pa ang agrikultura para kumita. At the same time, pang-konsumo na rin para ma-boost ang economy natin. Pino-promote ko rin ang paggamit ng organic para maprotektahan ang environment natin,” Nahum Cupiado from Oriental Mindoro shared.
Tarlac resident Carl Glen Caballero stressed the possibilities of the being an agripreneur, “Gusto kong maipakita sa kanila na may financial security at future ang agriculture, hindi lamang para sa retirement at sa mga matatatanda, kundi ito na po ang kinabukasan ng mamamayang Pilipino na mas lumago ang kabuhayan sa pamamagitan ng agrikultura.”
On the contribution of the BPP program in their lives, Ana Velasco shared, “Malaki ang naitulong sa akin ng Binhi ng Pag-asa Program. Natulungan po ako nitong mapalawak ang kaalaman ko sa agrikultura, mas ma-involve pa sa mga gawaing pang-agrikultura, at makatulong maging isang kabataang lider.”
