Benguet Farmers Gained Support from Foreign Investors

November 7, 2021 - Benguet, Philippines  -    They call themselves, the Igorot OFW, and they are equipped with more than 10 years of hands-on experience as a hotelier in foreign countries. They are the owner of registered Farmers’ Basket with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) with the primary objective to shorten the link between the farmers (as the primary source of fruits and vegetables) and the end consumers. 

 They call her "Lola" and prior to setting up Farmers Basket in Baguio where Lola was born, the owner first conducted a market assessment and talked to the farmers and various procurement officers of hotels, inns, and condominiums, and survey village residences around the area. The result is what is today called the Farmers Basket which is becoming a household word in the city.

 Part of the marketing strategy of Farmers Basket is to set up its main outlet in Baguio City, an ideal place for the consolidation and distribution of various vegetables raised by farmers around the area. The delivery is free to customers and products may be moved from one outlet to the other where they will be required. Aware of the short life span of the products, the Company minimizes losses from it by setting up an eatery section, using the vegetables and condiments before they become stale.

The Farmers Baske use the same exploratory method to venture out of Baguio and into the more populous centers of Metro Manila which will include the nearby area of Cavite. The initial targets in Metro Manila include Taguig City (which is near Cavite), Cubao, and Baclaran. The latter 2 can easily be traversed through EDSA.

The Farmers Basket is very thankful that Foreign investors support the project. Mr. Noubikko, CEO of RPConnect is leading the program to get investors coming from Europe and other parts of Asia.  Musa Batuhan Batu, a Turkish national who is involved with automated green farming,  together with Man Hwan Park, former president of Korean Exim Bank in the Philippines, now retired and living in Seoul, Korea will visit the farm soon.

Expanding Farmers Basket nationwide can surely help farmers and consumers, and the possibility  of employing a huge number of employees, especially the Igorot tribes is a very noble mission, 

 The development of farms by providing technologies means loving work leads to productivity.

The inspiration for Farmer’s Basket started all the way in the early 2000s. The founder and owner of Farmer’s Basket were OFWs working in an agritourist hotel. As the manager of the hotel, she needed a supplier of fruits and vegetables, so she partnered with a business that supplied such produce. When she returned to the Philippines she decided to take matters into her own hands and created a business that supplies businesses with the products that they need. From fruits and vegetables, they expanded to groceries, a one-stop-shop for homes, and more. 

Chito Acot, CEO of Ad Production PH is filming and documenting the Farmers Basket Agri ventures in preparation for the arrival of Investors.