INVESTORS are assured of real poultry products and real income from the virtual poultry farming program that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is currently pushing for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), a DTI official said.
"This is not just a computer simulation game like Facebook's very popular (game) Farmville," DTI Zamboanga Peninsula Director Nazrullah Manzur said.
The Virtual Poultry Program, according to Manzur, came as an offshoot of the trade and investment mission to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia organized by the DTI in 2005.
Manzur said the program was conceptualized to put into productive use the OFWs' hard-earned savings in a project that offers a high return on investment yet at the same time relatively safe.
OFWs can invest as low as P50,000, Manzur said.
As investors, Manzur said they become part-owners of profitable poultry production without them having to be physically present or engaged in the day-to-day farm operations.
Said investments will be utilized to expand the operation of the Davao-based poultry farms owned by Maharlika Agro-Marine Ventures Corporation, a reputable contract grower of chicken for San Miguel Corporation, he said.
As investor, he said the OFWs can actually be also called Overseas Filipino Investors (OFI).
He said that through these investments infused by the OFWs, more poultry farms will be built all over the country generating employment and economic activities in the countryside.
As such, Manzur said they become active partners in the country's poverty alleviation program.
Manzur said that through the use of the internet, the OFW-investor can do real-time monitoring of the status of the project by merely going online.
He said a dedicated website featuring the poultry farms also provides periodic financial statements thereby allowing the OFWs access to crucial information.
He said the internet makes it possible to monitor the poultry operations anytime of the day, any day of the week.
Interested OFWs may contact the Overseas Workers Welfare Adminitration or any DTI field office for more information about the program, Manzur said.
They may also call directly Maharlika Agro-Marine Ventures Corporation at telephone numbers (082)235-2685 or 234-0501, he added. (Bong Garcia)