CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Department of Agriculture (DA) encourages Kapampangan youth to engage themselves in agriculture through the agency’s different programs.
In his visit in Magalang town, Agriculture Secretary William Dar stressed that the agriculture sector now is in dire need of young farmers.
“You know, I am a staunch advocate to bring in more young people in government and in agri-business. That is why we at the department have come up with programs that will aid and attract the young generation to get engaged,” Dar said.
Among these programs, he said, is the Mentoring and Attracting Youth in Agribusiness (MAYA), which gives the younger generation a chance to participate in the monitoring and evaluation of projects on the ground.
“Under this program, we will have a team for every congressional district all over the country. About a thousand will be fielded to help us monitor the projects being implemented at the local government units. This is also one way to pursue good governance,” the secretary said.
Dar added that those who will avail of this program will be given monthly allowance for six months. After that, they can either join the government or go to agribusiness.
The DA chief also encouraged the youth to apply under the Business Incubation in Agriculture program.
“This is a grant, not a loan. They can apply as high as PhP500,000 for translating their ideas into proof of concept. They can transform it into either an application or a project idea, whatever it is that will really bring out the best in every young individual,” he said.
Another program, Dar said, is a loan for those who want to venture into agribusiness, called the Kapital Access for Young Agripreneurs (KAYA).
“With this, an applicant can loan up to PhP500,000 with zero interest, and payable within five years,” he said.
Dar said that these programs are geared to attract the youth to venture into agribusiness.
“We believe that there is money, there is profit in agriculture. We approach agriculture now through agribusiness. That is how we can encourage the younger generation to get engaged, to get involved,” he said.