SAN MANUEL, Tarlac — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) conducted the Central Luzon Farmers and Agri-Based MSMEs Summit to strengthen linkages between farmers and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) of Central Luzon, creating wider opportunities and boosting supply chain efficiency for both sectors.
Organzied in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Office of the 1st Congressional District of Tarlac, over 500 attendees composed of farmers, cooperatives, and MSMEs took part in the event held in San Manuel town and exhibited their products.
DTI Regional Director Edna Dizon emphasized the vital role of farmers in supporting the production needs of agri-based MSMEs.
She noted, however, that many of the challenges MSMEs are experiencing arise from a weak connection with farmers.
“Compounding these issues is the weak linkage — ang link po ng ating farmers sa ating MSMEs. Iyon ang missing link natin (Compounding these issues is the weak linkage — the link of our farmers to our MSMEs. That is our missing link),” she said.
The summit aimed to address this gap by showing farmers the opportunities that can be derived from the production of MSMEs, while providing MSMEs with direct access to local raw materials.
“Creating a strong link between farmers and MSMEs will allow enterprises to access raw materials efficiently without the need to import from other areas or countries,” she added.
Meanwhile, Tarlac 1st District Representative Jaime Cojuangco highlighted that the event encourages farmers to shift from planting only what they need to planting what MSMEs require, creating bigger opportunities for income and sustainability.
“What I really want to happen is an environment where an MSME can literally tell the farmers, ‘This is what I need,’ and the farmers can feel secure that they can grow that crop knowing there’s already a guaranteed buyer,” he said.
During the event, farmers and MSMEs from the region were given the opportunity to interact and connect with each other for possible collaboration and partnership.
DTI has pledged to support the farmer–MSME partnerships formed through the summit to further boost the region’s agricultural supply chain.
