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Marketing and Entrepreneurial Practices of Coconut, Corn and Vegetable Farmers. Dennis Prince Y. Germano, DBA Enterprise Development Officer Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA), Inc., Philippines. Profile of Marketing Initiative.
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Marketing and Entrepreneurial Practices of Coconut, Corn and Vegetable Farmers Dennis Prince Y. Germano, DBA Enterprise Development Officer Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA), Inc., Philippines
Marketing partners (NGOs, Coops, local traders, processors) • Brief history (will relate story) • Current status: • Establishing market linkages • Organizing channels of distribution • Preparing business plans • Planning production of value-added products and by-products
Management structure: • Creation of Enterprise Committee • Enterprise Development is now a major function of PAKISAMA • An Enterprise Development Officer was hired to oversee the overall enterprise management and marketing • Regional Managers support marketing activities at the local level
EnablingFactors • Facilitation of networks engaged in agricultural marketing (i.e. COIR linked PAKISAMA Mindanao to Robson) • Local and global demand complementation (i.e. coconut) • Growth of livestock industry (i. e. corn)
Hindering Factors • Skewed industry design (coconut) • Limited capital resources • Inadequate business knowledge and technical know-how • Limited access to primary markets • Inadequate market information
Lessons Learned/Insights • More market intermediaries squeeze profitability • Consolidation and integration increases bargaining power (better price/deal) • Earn well, do good! • Study contracts before signing
Pay attention to customer requirements • If price could not be raised, reduce marketing cost • Presence of untapped local market
Challenges Ahead • Sustainability of enterprise activities • Capital requirements • Surge of imported products • Ageing farmer population • Inadequate infrastructure and production facilities • Market-driven systems
Recommendations • Design and implement marketing plan (research-based) • Establish agro-processing centers to stimulate demand • Engage in mainstream business operation balancing cross-functions (Production-Marketing-Finance)
Design and strictly implement sound financial management policy • Access available financing windows of development banks and government institutions • Develop an alternative value chain
Design a product mix: old product-old market; old product-new market; new product-new market; new product-old market • Exhaust all possible support (i.e. financing, production, and marketing) from government and private organizations