As part of completing its business plan, the Taloy Farmers’ Cooperative (TAFARMCO) is strengthening collaboration with key local stakeholders in the highland vegetable industry to support its planned expansion.

On January 28, 2026, a business conference (BizCon) was held to engage private agribusiness entities in support of TAFARMCO’s enterprise subproject proposal on the establishment of an Agri-Food and Processing Hub under the Department of Agriculture–Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) Scale-Up.

TAFARMCO’s proposed enterprise aims to address key challenges in the highland vegetable sector through the establishment of an integrated consolidation, processing, and marketing hub. The subproject seeks to reduce post-harvest losses through improved handling, storage, and processing facilities; enhance market access by directly linking farmers to institutional buyers; and strengthen infrastructure through the development of a processing center, cold storage, and consolidation facilities supported by appropriate equipment and hauling vehicles.

The activity was participated in by representatives from the Federation of Benguet Farmers’ Cooperative (FBFC), Kultura Cordillera Food Supply Trading, One Farmvest Agriventures Corporation, Sun Valley Multipurpose Cooperative, AgricoopH, the Federation of People’s Sustainable Development Cooperative (FPSDC), and Valenzuela Development Cooperative. Members of TAFARMCO’s business development team, along with representatives from the Planning and Agribusiness Divisions of the DA-CAR and DA-PRDP technical staff, also joined the conference.

The BizCon aimed to strengthen partnerships with private institutions to leverage additional resources and scale up investments along the highland vegetable value chain.

During the conference, Susan D. Balanza, I-PLAN Component Head of DA-PRDP Cordillera, presented an overview of the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Investment Portfolio (RAFIP), highlighting key challenges, constraints, opportunities, and competitiveness strategies in the highland vegetable industry.

To provide participants with a clearer understanding of the proposed enterprise, TAFARMCO Chief Executive Officer Angel Garcia presented the cooperative’s business proposal, focusing on its objectives, the challenges it seeks to address, and the overall process flow.

Garcia shared that TAFARMCO has already entered into marketing agreements with the majority of the private entities present at the conference.

“Although our enterprise proposal is yet to be approved by the DA-PRDP, we are continuously seeking partnerships to further strengthen our initiatives,” Garcia said.

The conference also served as a platform for private agribusiness entities to raise insights, concerns, and clarifications regarding the proposed enterprise.

Lambert Lopez, General Manager of the FBFC, expressed support for TAFARMCO’s proposal, citing its potential to address the needs of vegetable farmers in Benguet.

A workshop session was likewise conducted to discuss provisions to be incorporated into TAFARMCO’s marketing agreements with private agribusiness partners. The session focused on finalizing key requirements such as pricing, vegetable types, volume, and logistics, which are necessary to refine and complete the feasibility study of the enterprise proposal.

TAFARMCO’s enterprise subproject is expected to improve farmer incomes, reduce post-harvest losses, create employment, support market expansion, and generate value-added products toward a more stable and competitive highland vegetable supply chain. ### (Elvy T. Estacio, RPCO CAR InfoACE Unit)

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