New DA-OWWA pact offers OFWs agribusiness loans, training

Returning overseas Filipino workers (OFW) will gain access to training, financing and market support for agricultural ventures under a joint initiative launched by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

The DA and OWWA formalized the partnership through a memorandum of agreement establishing the "Balik Agri-OFW Agribusiness and Investment Reintegration Program," designed to help returning migrant workers transition into sustainable local enterprises.

The interagency program provides a support mechanism covering key stages of business development, including opportunity identification, business plan preparation, financial access, and operational setup.

The DA prepared investment menus highlighting viable ventures for returning workers, including native pig and chicken production, duck raising, oyster mushroom cultivation and processing, lowland vegetable farming, and various value-adding agricultural processes.

"We want to make our beloved OFWs realize that there is money and livelihood opportunities in agriculture," Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.

"Through the Balik Agri-OFW Program, we want to provide them with the knowledge, technical assistance, and access to financing they need to turn their ideas into sustainable agribusinesses," he added.

Under the agreement, the DA will facilitate low-interest financing and enterprise assistance through the Agricultural Credit Policy Council and OWWA programs, subject to standard eligibility evaluation.

DA Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness, Marketing, and Consumer Affairs Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra stated that the initiative aims to offer returning workers practical and market-oriented investment options.

"We want our returning OFWs to see agriculture not only as a source of livelihood, but as a viable business and investment opportunity," Guevarra said.

"We are bringing together the technical assistance, enterprise development support, financing opportunities, and market linkages they need to turn their resources and ideas into sustainable agribusiness ventures," he added.

DA officials cited a 2024 study showing that among self-employed returning OFWs, 50.5 percent engaged in retail or online sales, 22.5 percent operated food-related businesses, and 17 percent worked in farming, fishing, and poultry production.

The DA and OWWA plan to promote the initiative through domestic and international forums, including the "Usapang Agribiz" series and outreach engagements targeting overseas Filipino communities preparing for reintegration.