BRANCHES of The Pork Shop will soon carry fresh fruits and vegetables under the Asturias Harvest brand following the joint partnership between Virginia Farms Inc. and the Asturias local government, a top official said.
Virginia Farms said it will be duplicating its buy-back model for hog farmers to local crop farmers in Asturias, Cebu to augment their livelihood.
The firm will buy the fruits and vegetables produced by the farmers at a guaranteed price.
The local government of Asturias, on the other hand, will provide assistance like the initial inputs of seeds and fertilizers and the installation of irrigated water systems.
The two inked a memorandum of agreement on April 7, 2021.
This joint project, according to Virginia Farms president Rolando Tambago is part of the company’s community social responsibility as it targets to provide a sustainable livelihood for the families in the community.
“There are at least 40 families who can participate in the project here in Purok 5. Most of them have been engaged in farming for a long time and have always faced challenges when selling their produce. We think this project will really help us,” said Purok 5 president Nicomedes Curacha.
Tambago said the firm will start identifying crops that they can grow in the area.
“We will prioritize crops with high market demand that we can sell through The Pork Shop branches,” said Tambago.
The Pork Shop in Cebu has a total of 47 branches. It sells fresh chilled pork products.
Moreover, Tambago said they will set up a production program for every crop to ensure there will be enough supply based on market demand. He is also mulling to set up a processing plant once production is stabilized.
Asturias Mayor Jose Antonio Pintor said the joint partnership is a welcome development as it will help foster the growth of the agriculture sector in the municipality.
“We are currently the biggest producer of yellow corn in Central Visayas. With this project, we hope to also become a major player in fruit and vegetable production,” said Pintor.
Besides Asturias, Tambago said they plan to duplicate the project in other areas of Cebu.
Virginia Farms is currently the biggest company engaged in hog farming in Central Visayas. It operates a 360-hectare farm in Asturias managed by its sister company Asturias Farms Inc. (KOC)