22 Aug, 2024
San Miguel Foods’ long-running regenerative agriculture program, also aimed at supporting local farmers, has yielded over 90,000 metric tons of cassava in the first half of the year, 44% higher than in the same period last year, boosting incomes for its extensive network of farmers nationwide. San Miguel Corporation (SMC) Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang said that the company’s Cassava Assemblers Program, ongoing for many years now and in place in more than half of all the provinces in the country, has steadily grown, resulting in higher yields. “Through our Cassava Assemblers Program, we offer a guaranteed market with purchase agreements, a fixed floor price, and comprehensive technical assistance. We continue to engage with, and encourage farmers to organize themselves and form small businesses, to assemble a minimum of 20 hectares of cassava plantation,” Ang said. Ang explained that assemblers purchase produce directly from small farm holdings. This is particularly helpful for farmers with insufficient funds to pay for transport costs to sell their goods. It also solves the problem of economies of scale in production, lowering the unit cost of harvesting or transport, to a point where it is profitable for both the farmer and the assembler. For its part, San Miguel is assured a steady supply of an essential raw material.