In a move that will allow them to at least recover their cost of production and hard labor in the fields, about 70 farmers of Mataddi, Quirino – through the help of the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI)-Region 2’s Walang Sayang Project and the Provincial Government of Quirino – collaborated with e-commerce platform Mayani to sell about 9 metric tonnes of soon-to-be-harvested tomatoes this July 5.
Photo from: DTI Region 2
“The lockdown has really exposed the inefficiencies of our agri-supply chain and how vulnerable it is to shocks,” said JT Solis, the Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Mayani. “As a tech-enabled platform, we allow our local farmers to digitally consolidate themselves through it, insulate themselves from the non-movement of physical intermediaries, and directly reach untapped markets at scale.”
Quirino is a landlocked province in the Cagayan Valley region, bordered by Nueva Vizcaya and Aurora. It is known for its vast agricultural base and vegetative cover providing livelihood to a lot of its smallholder farmers.
Because the huge commercial buyers and traders’ operations almost came to a complete halt during the lockdown, the Mattadi farmers are now confronted with a sudden oversupply of unsold tomatoes, with a considerable percentage of it turning overripe in a couple of days and will soon go to waste unless promptly sold.
Photo from: DTI Region 2
DTI Region II has also sought the aid of other like-minded agri-players such as Rural Rising, AGREA, and Curaytive City Farms in moving the excess tomatoes from other parts of the region such as Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino.
For those who are interested to lend a hand and purchase the Mataddi farmers’ tomatoes, you can visit the Mayani website at www.mayani.ph There will be a consolidated tomato drop happening on July 7 by the DTI Region II and the Provincial Government of Quirino with Mayani covering the digital access to customers and the last-mile deliveries to their homes.
www.mayani.ph
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