The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Negros Oriental province is initiating a digitization online application for farmers and producers in conflict-affected areas to connect them directly to a wider market.

DTI-Negros Oriental information officer Krystle Jade Bato said in an interview Tuesday the provincial government has set aside an initial fund of PHP500,000 for the project.

“This is actually to be implemented through the Poverty Reduction, Livelihood, and Employment Cluster (PRLEC) of the End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) in Negros Oriental, although we are also looking at including Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs),” Bato said.

The business-to-business project is expected to encourage farmers and producers to organize into associations that will be directly selling to the end-users.

At the same time, the app will also provide them with fresh information and inputs on agri-business to ramp up their current livelihood and sources of income, Bato said.

The system will contain data such as planting seasons for crops, new farming methods, and other agriculture-related information.

While there is still no official name for the B2B app for Negros Oriental, it is anchored on the DTI’s E4ALL, which stands for education, engagement, entrepreneurship, and e-commerce for areas with local armed conflict and limited access, Bato said.

She said DTI is partnering with Agro Digital PH for the use of their online platform to make it easier for the agency to jumpstart the project, which will be piloted in Barangay Dobdob in Valencia town, an ELCAC area, through the Dobdob Farmers’ Association.

Bato said the B2B app project will also be piloted with the Negros Oriental Hotel, Resort, and Restaurant Association as the first direct connection to the farmers and producers. (PNA)