Cagayan de Oro City — The regional office of the Department of Agriculture (DA) has partnered with the Agricultural Credit Policy Council, the National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Program of the agency and Bukidnon-based company Mushroom City to train returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) on hydroponics lettuce production and oyster mushroom production as part of a livelihood assistance program.

Shellery Nava of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration said in a statement that the training held this week at the regional agriculture field office not only focused on enhancing agri-production skills but also business planning and financial literacy.

It has equipped attendees with the essential knowledge to effectively run agricultural enterprises and manage their finances.

She added that the capability building also included a sharing of the returning OFWs’ major takeaways, recommendations, and action plans through workshops and presentations of outputs.

“We’re very happy to have connected with DA-10 because our aim for the OFWs is to have a better life when they return to their homes,” Nava said.

“What we want is to secure their reintegration into the local community so the services extended by the agency offer an opportunity for the balikbayans to progress in ways of agribusiness,” she added.

The training aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to agribusiness for returning OFWs in Northern Mindanao by empowering them with the government’s Micro Agrikahan para sa Balikbayan program.

The said initiative is designed to address the needs of the trainees by providing them with specialized training and agribusiness support to start small-scale agricultural ventures upon their return to their places of origin.

Ferdinand Carabella, assistant division chief, said returning OFWs were provided training in agribusiness, including food manufacturing, processing and retail marketing.

“As a career in agribusiness, the training offers diverse opportunities across various industries, including food manufacturing, bioengineering, mechanization and modern farming practices to thrive in the market,” Carabella said.

The training program was also aimed at understanding the kind of agricultural investment the returning OFWs plan to undertake so that the agriculture regional office can tailor government interventions based on their specific needs.