DA-NorMin honors 2024 YFC awardees in regional recognition ceremony
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Celebrating innovation, dedication, and the growing impact of youth in agriculture, the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 (DA-RFO 10) held its 2024 Young Farmers Challenge (YFC) Program Awarding Ceremony on Thursday, May 29, in this city.
Spearheaded by the agency’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD), the awarding ceremony honored 43 agri-fishery enterprise awardees from across Northern Mindanao, recognizing their contributions to food security and agri-business development.
Of the total number, 28 individuals and 5 groups were awarded as provincial winners under the Start-Up category. Advancing from this pool were 7 individual regional winners for the Start-Up category and 3 individual winners under the Upscale category, whose enterprises have demonstrated growth and potential for scaling up.
The awardees, ages 18 to 30, underwent rigorous screening where they presented their business model canvases, operational plans, and financial projections. A panel of evaluators assessed each based on innovation, viability, social responsibility, and entrepreneurial capability.
Provincial awardees under the Start-Up category each received a PhP80k financial grant, while regional Start-Up winners were awarded PhP150k to implement or advance their agribusiness ventures. Regional Upscale awardees, on the other hand, received PhP300k each to further expand and professionalize their existing operations.
In his message, DA-10 Regional Executive Director Jose Apollo Y. Pacamalan emphasized the importance of supporting young agripreneurs and building on the momentum of the YFC program.
“The next step for us is to groom potential young farmers so we can clearly identify how we can further contribute beyond what we’ve already done. That’s where we’ll see the true value of DA-10—not just in today’s recognition, but in the continued support moving forward. This kind of innovation challenges us to do more,” director Pacamalan said.
Echoing this call for continued support, DA-10 Regional Technical Director for Operations Carlota S. Madriaga encouraged all stakeholders to go beyond what is expected.
“Starting today, we should begin identifying potential young farmers in our respective localities and ensure that our efforts are aligned with the national criteria of the YFC Challenge. This way, they will be better positioned to win awards in the coming year,” director Madriaga added.
The ceremony brought together awardees, mentors, local government representatives, and institutional partners who have played a vital role in guiding the youth through their entrepreneurial journey in agriculture.
Below is the list of 2024 YFC Awardees:
2024 Start-Up Provincial Awardees
*Pinces Farm (Bukidnon)
*EleSnacks (Bukidon)
*2A’s Lettuce Chips (Bukidnon)
*Pigs Production (Bukidnon)
*Drumstick Tree Enterprise (Bukidnon)
*KAMPAI: Adlay Wine (Bukidnon)
*Kubo-Redilla Fish and Salsa (Bukidnon)
*RTL Chicken Enterprise (Bukidnon)
*Farm Goodies Buddy (Bukidnon)
*Shan’s Cassava Farm (Bukidnon)
*Oink and Quack Farms (Bukidnon)
*Solar Smart- Batoy Hydro Farm (Bukidnon)
*La Farmia Cornana (Bukidnon)
*LCO Food Products (Cagayan de Oro)
*JE Probiotic Free Range Native Chicken (Cagayan de Oro)
*Kagay-anon Youth Network Alliance (KAYA NA) (Cagayan de Oro)
*Crayfish Farming (Cagayan de Oro)
*Project 3K’s Lettuce Chips (Cagayan de Oro)
*GL’SR Quail Farming (Misamis Oriental)
*JC Chilli Garden (Misamis Oriental)
*Lady Luck Agri Farm (Misamis Oriental)
*Nutri-Coco Ventures (Misamis Oriental)
*Tobacco Farm (Misamis Oriental)
*Carl’s Turkey Farm Alubijid (Misamis Oriental)
*LJL Bangus Fingerlings (Misamis Occidental)
*Yolks and Shells (Misamis Occidental)
*Soil Weavers Agri-Ventures (Misamis Occidental)
*Daily Harvest (Misamis Occidental)
*Mr. and Mrs. JD Farmhouse (Lanao del Norte)
*Munai Chili Oil Products (Lanao del Norte)
*PISO: Poultry meat production Income Strengthening Opportunity (Lanao del Norte)
*M&A Farming (Lanao del Norte)
*Magtagad’s Sustainable Swine Farming (Lanao del Norte)
2024 Start-Up Regional Awardees
*Pinces Farm (Bukidnon)
*Egg-celent Harvest (Bukidnon)
*2A’s VeggieVerse (Bukidnon)
*La Farmia AgriNova (Bukidnon)
*LutyaLicious (Cagayan de Oro)
*Carl’s Pabo-rito (Misamis Oriental)
*GL’SR Quail Farming (Misamis Oriental)
2024 Upscale Regional Awardees
*Anitu Forest Food Processing (Bukidnon)
*Isidro’s Integrated Farm (Misamis Oriental)
*OZ Greens Vegetable Farm (Misamis Occidental)
Through this regional recognition, DA-10 reaffirmed its support to young farmers and agripreneurs, committing to help them become agents of agricultural modernization, rural economic growth, and inclusive development in Northern Mindanao.# (EJLG)