Jollibee program helps farmers earn P360 million

MANILA, Philippines — The Jollibee Group Foundation has helped farmers earn more than P360 million under its entrepreneurship program since its inception in 2008.

JGF said farmers under its Farmer Entrepreneurship Program (FEP) have delivered nine million kilos of vegetables to the company, translating to more than P360 million in earnings.

Currently, it has 18 accredited farmer groups as suppliers.

FEP is a comprehensive agro-entrepreneurship program that helps sharpen the technical and business skills of farmers.

Under the program, farmers are linked to institutional markets such as the Jollibee Group’s brands for increased and steady income.

Since 2008, JGF and its partners nationwide have been empowering farmers to have a more sustainable livelihood and income.

“JGF and our partners assist farmers in becoming farmer-entrepreneurs, allowing them to participate more actively in agriculture value chains, provide food for their own families, and contribute to the country’s food security,” JGF executive director Gisela Tiongson said.

JGF said it collaborates with community-based partners to shift farmers’ mindsets and practices from individual producers to agro-entrepreneurs working in clusters, providing them with a more sustainable source of income and increasing their pride in the value of their work.

Through agro-entrepreneurship and leadership training, farmers learn the agro-enterprise clustering approach, which organizes farmers into clusters and guides them in developing a business plan to establish their collective farming enterprise.

Farmers learn to enhance the quality of their goods to satisfy market standards in addition to being formally structured as groups or cooperatives.

Currently, 94 percent of FEP farmer groups are certified under the Philippine Good Agricultural Practices, which ensure that the crop production complies with food safety standards.

JGF then helps farmers access reliable markets for their produce. White onions used in Jollibee Yumburger, spring onions sprinkled on the Chowking Chao Fan, green bell peppers in the Greenwich Hawaiian Overload Pizza, and ginger and calamansi in Mang Inasal products are grown with joy and supplied by FEP farmers.

In addition, FEP farmers gain access to innovations and technologies on weather, crops and soil to help increase their yield and manage resources such as seeds and fertilizers.

As a result of these initiatives, farmers learn how to scale their operations, maintain their status as suppliers to big companies, and further expand their clientele.

“These interventions are made possible with the help of our local and international partners in the agriculture ecosystem. We are extremely grateful for the assistance they provide that adds value to the farmers for the long term,” Tiongson said.