Agriculture is one of the major sectors in the country with over 10 million Filipinos depend on the agriculture sector for their livelihood that the SM Group recognized as it committed support to the industry to improve food security and strengthen the economy.
Through food retail affiliate and community shopping mall chain WalterMart, its Palengke Fresh program provides Filipino farmers with solid market access that enables them to bring healthy farm-fresh produce to the customers efficiently.
WalterMart provides services beyond hosting products from farmers for a limited period. Rather than bringing them in through concessionaires, the retailer integrates them across 38 stores by providing a venue for them to sell daily.
Making a difference in people’s lives has been an advocacy of the group borne from the simple dream of SM founder Henry Sy, Sr. to uplift the livelihood of local farming communities,” SM Investments president and CEO Frederic DyBuncio said.
“By harnessing our resources, particularly our retail properties, we aim to empower local farmers, strengthen rural economies and contribute to food security and poverty alleviation in the country.”
The Palengke Fresh program along with SM Foundation’s Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan program are concrete examples of how the SM group is working closely with the agriculture sector to help elevate farming communities in the Philippines.
Quality and affordable produce awaits customers through WalterMart’s Palengke Fresh market.
“Our partnership with local producers through the Palengke Fresh program bridges the gap between farm and table and cultivates a sustainable agricultural culture between farmers and customers with each direct sale. For us to make an impact on the livelihood of our farmers, we make it to a point that they are involved in our supply chain process,” Jennilyn Uy, president of WalterMart, said.
Joseph Galolo, a farmer from Sitio Kada, Mankayan in Benguet is among the partners of WalterMart’s Palengke Fresh program.
Completing supply chain
“We were given an opportunity to transport our products. Now, we do not have to think about where to market our produce and instead, all we have to do is to tend to our products by ensuring their quality and freshness when they reach the consumers,” he explained.
Nueva Ecija farmer Crisanto Santos shares how much this initiative helps farmers like him since it enables their products to fetch a more favorable price than usual.
“To all those who support WalterMart and Palengke Fresh, thank you. These products produced by farmers help us to have a better livelihood,” according to Santos.