The Department of Agriculture (DA) recognized the prime movers of seven Manila-based agribusinesses as regional winners of the 2022 Young Farmers Challenge (YFC) during the awarding ceremony at the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) Convention Hall on November 4, 2022.
The Young Farmer Challenge, a program started by the DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (DA-AMAS) and Senator Imee Marcos in 2021, seeks to encourage the youth to engage in agri-fishery enterprises on a sustained basis to showcase its viability as a primary source of income comparable to employment in industry/service sectors.
Under the competitive financial grant assistance program, the young farmers may use the endowment as start-up capital for their proposed agri-fishery enterprise, which may be an individual or group-managed venture.
The NCR-Regional Level winners were:
- Jonalyn Rivera and Kenn Renzi Camacho of Ge and Jo Cacao Co. (Quezon City);
- Alexandre Timothy Alvarez of Aseptic Agricultural Farming (Pasig City);
- Jay Vee Estacio of Daloy Ilog Aquaponics (Taguig City);
- Michael Angelo Ragasa of Project Potted Plants (Taguig City);
- Bianca Camille De Garcia Alvarez of ang Alimango’s Crab Fattening in Home-based Vertical Farm using Recirculatory Aquaculture System (Mandaluyong City);
- Jay-Cie S. Lota of Fresh Project PH (Taguig City); and
- Marybeth Dineros and Akira Genesis Quina of Quin Crab Vertical Crab Farming (Quezon City)
Each awardees received P150,000 financial grant, on top of the P50,000 awarded at the provincial level.
From the 112 regional awardees nationwide, only 35 enterprises will advance to the national level competition. The top 12 enterprises will receive an additional grant of P300,000 each. ### (Kristel Joyce Merle, DA-AFID)
