THE opening of the Negosyo Center, being a hub for entrepreneurship, is a big boost to Davao City's agricultural sector, an official said.
Councilor Marissa Salvador-Abella, chair of the committee on agriculture and food, said farmers looking for technical training and financial facilitation will be properly guided while businessmen looking for agriculture products will also be directed to right suppliers.
"The center is very timely because Davao City has been a recipient of various programs and projects from the National Government. We have the Philippine Rural Development Plan (PRDP) that will provide farm-to-market roads and other rural infrastructure projects that will boost our agriculture sector," Abella said.
In the wake of this development, the City Council approved in third and final reading Tuesday the establishment of the P70-million Agri Pinoy Trading Center funded by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to assist farmers in the marketing of their produce.
Abella said the potential for growth and economic advancement in the agricultural sector is vast and the Go Negosyo Center will create a network of various agencies that will help build the agriculture value chain.
Under Comprehensive Land Use Plan (Clup) 2013-2022, the city has a total of 111,387.49 hectares or 45.65 percent land area for agriculture.
"Lands under agriculture comprise the biggest portion of the total land area of the city, as the city relies primarily on agriculture for food, feeds and raw materials for agricultural industries and other industries," she said, adding that it is better to make use of these lands to help the small farmers increase their production and in marketing their produce.
This is where the Negosyo Center plays a vital role, Abella said, as she also lauded Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte for approving the establishment of the facility.
Negosyo Center was officially launched and opened July 9 at Door 6 7, Davao City Investment Promotion Center at Magsaysay Park Complex.
The center is the first local government unit based center that has reception and working areas, mini-library, product showcase, consultancy area and training room and offers various services such as Business Registration and Licensing for Business Name and the Barangay Micro-Business Enterprise (BMBE); Business Advisory Services such as Training, Consultancy, Financing Facilitation, Market Linkage and Trade Promotions; and Business Information and Advocacy such as Networking with other government agencies, information facilitation, among others. (ICT)