OFWs in Dubai can now explore the opportunities that await them in the field of Agriculture by launching their own business through reintegration programs and webinar series that provide extensive information as to how they can get started ahead of their plans to go home ‘for good’.
The Philippine Consulate in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Philippine Overseas Labor Office – Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in Dubai (POLO-OWWA Dubai), and the National Reintegration Center for OFWs conducted the “Kabayan, Mag-Agribusiness na Tayo!” webinar to help impart information which outlines the services that the government provides to help OFWs get all the information they need as well as key sources of funding to jumpstart their business.
Agriculture Attache Nolet Fulgencio, in an interview with The Filipino Times, is optimistic that this webinar series will help OFWs to discern ways on how they can continue to earn money by utilizing the Philippines’ fertile lands and waters.
“We hope that through the hosting of the agribusiness webinar series, we can plant seeds of inspiration, as well as provide sufficient information on the agribusiness track of choice of our kababayan. The DA has several programs that they can tap to help them be ready and be well informed when they invest their hard-earned money on any agriculture-related business,” said Fulgencio.
She added that OFWs may also suggest what specific commodity they are keen to learn about so that the Department of Agriculture could find resource persons to help train overseas Filipinos planning to launch their businesses in the near future.
“We encourage them to tell us, through the Consulate, their commodity/ agribusiness topic of choice so that we can tailor fit the learning according to their needs,” she added.
Mark Espina, Acting Chief Policy and Development Division at the OWWA-NRCO, provided key insights on the Philippine government’s programs that will help OFWs gain access to funding.
Luzviminda Tolentino, Marketing Specialist III at the Department of Agriculture’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance division and Theresa ‘Maui’ Cosico, of the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), tackled various agribusiness opportunities available to OFWs and potential earnings.
Emmalyn Guinto of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) states that OFWs can reach out to https://acpcaccess.ph/ to gain access to loan and credit programs.
