DA taps returning OFWs for agribusiness

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is encouraging overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) preparing to return home to consider agriculture as a potential business and investment, while exposing them to modern farming technologies that could be adapted to Philippine enterprises.

Through its Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (DA-AMAS), the DA held an Usapang Agribiz forum during the Alagang OWWA Serbisyo Caravan at Marronnier Park in Seoul on 13 September, followed by a farm technology visit in Wanju County the next day.

The activities, led by DA Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness, Marketing, and Consumer Affairs Genevieve E. Velicaria-Guevarra and OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne “PY” Caunan, introduced OFWs to government programs on financing, training, market linkages and other forms of support for agricultural ventures.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the government wants returning OFWs to consider agriculture not only as a livelihood or investment, but also as a way to contribute to the country’s food supply.

“We want our OFWs who are preparing to come home to see agriculture not just as a business they can build, but as an opportunity to contribute to food security and nation building,” Tiu Laurel said.

Guevarra said agriculture could provide returning OFWs with opportunities to use their savings, skills and business experience to establish enterprises and generate income.

“Agriculture is not only vital to our food and nutrition security; it also offers returning OFWs opportunities for entrepreneurship, investment, and sustainable income. We want them to see that agriculture today is no longer limited to traditional farming, but is a dynamic technology-driven business sector,” she said.

Agricultural Credit Policy Council Executive Director Rallen Verdadero discussed available financing options during the forum, while the Agricultural Training Institute presented capacity-building programs for prospective agripreneurs.

The DA and OWWA also signed a memorandum of agreement to strengthen the delivery of agricultural programs and services to OFWs.

The initiative forms part of the DA’s effort to bring more capital, skills and business experience into the agriculture sector by expanding the pool of potential agripreneurs. A 2025 DA order likewise identified OFWs as potential investors and entrepreneurs in agribusiness.

The technology component of the initiative continued in Wanju County, where the Philippine delegation visited the county agricultural technology center and a strawberry smart farm employing eight Filipino seasonal workers from Mina, Iloilo.

The farm uses environmental controls, fertigation, fogging, automated pest control and air-circulation systems. The visit gave Philippine officials and Filipino workers a look at production technologies that could potentially be adapted to local agricultural enterprises.

Wanju currently hosts 278 Filipino seasonal workers from six Philippine local government units.