With five minutes each, the top 20 Mentoring and Attracting the Youth in Agribusiness (MAYA) intern finalists of the Department of Agriculture (DA)’s “Success Begins at 40k: Best MAYA Micro-Agribusiness Plan” virtually presented their agribusiness plans and ideas– with highlights on business sustainability, products or services, operations and production plans, marketing, and financial plans –to a panel of judges on 22 June 2021 via video conferencing.
Spearheaded by DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) director and MAYA Coordinating Unit member Dr. Vivencio Mamaril, the abovementioned event featured agribusinesses plans which revolved around lettuce, banana chips, mushrooms, vermicompost, hydroponics, peppers, adlai, virgin coconut oil, textile, tablea, sugarcane, squid, cashew, and milkfish, among others.
The panel of judges for the said activity included Cherrie Atilano, AGREA president and founding farmer; Ana Margarita Hontiveros-Malvar, Agripreneurship and Sulu and Marawi Projects of the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship-Go Negosyo adviser; Abegail Famadico, Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship-Go Negosyo project associate; and Engr. Cesar Pineda, VastNet Telecoms Inc. chief executive officer.
With the finalists being evaluated based on innovativeness, entrepreneurial attributes, revenue stream, value addition, presentation, and delivery, 10 best agribusiness plans garnered the highest scores and were announced as winners on 23 June 2021.
The 10 winners were Rhema Joyce Mondala of DA-Ilocos Region (RJ’s Integrated Vermishroom); Krizza Joy Peracho of DA-Central Luzon (Soil Keeper Vermicompost); Camille Doguilles of DA-Central Luzon (MushRaff Mushroom Noodles); Joveil Velasco of DA-MIMAROPA (Kaju: Cashew Apple Vinegar); Rodney Dela Cerna of DA-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Central Visayas (Mardebangs: Marinated and Deboned Bangus); Cherry Agbon of DA-Agricultural Training Institute-Regional Training Center Northern Mindanao (Mamang’s Banana Chips); Jamaica Ejida of DA-BFAR Northern Mindanao (Jam’s PUSITsiritsit); Kristine Faith Agato of DA-Davao Region (Integrated Rabbitry and Black Soldier Fly); Ana Fe Daal of DA Caraga (Tablea Processing and Marketing); and Jessielyn Alfuente of Philippine Rubber Research Institute (Jess’s Scented Virgin Coconut Oil). Each winner received a cash prize of PhP 40,000 as start-up capital to support their agribusiness ventures.
The 10 interns who won under the “Success Begins at 40k: Best MAYA Micro-Agribusiness Plan” were formally awarded on 29 June 2021 via the Cisco Webex platform— together with the 26 winners of the ‘‘Best MAYA Interns” and the 30 winners of the “Best MAYA Photo Journey” categories.
In recognition of the interns’ efforts and successes under the three categories, the DA, through the bureau, awarded a total of 66 notable young winners for the MAYA Program.