The United States government launched its first agricultural e-commerce platform in the Philippines through the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with the Philippine’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Nueva Ecija Vizcaya Agricultural Terminal (NVAT) for market expansion of Luzon-based farmer-traders and to nourish the Philippines’ agricultural sector.
The NVAT Fresh Online Platform (NVATFresh.com) is a business-to-business (B2B) platform where farmers can offer their products to large businesses. The USAID provided technical assistance, onboarding support, and training to platform users through its PHP 1 billion (USD 18 million) Strengthening Private Enterprises for the Digital Economy (SPEED) project.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) emphasized the impact of platforms like NVAT Fresh Online on farmers as a growing utilization of information technology to provide both farmers and consumers alike with reliable, data-driven information and guidance. In agriculture, this swift increase is made possible through dynamic networks of collaboration between development institutions like USAID, the national government, and local extension services.
In NVAT Fresh Online’s initial phase, the projected sales are 5,000 tons of produce, accounting for 3% of the total volume. Sales are also expected to surge to roughly 20,000 tons, generating PHP 500 million (USD 8.8 million) by the fifth operational year. NVAT ranks among the country’s most extensive wholesale markets for fresh produce, delivering 60% of fresh fruits and vegetables to Metro Manila and Central Luzon.
(Source: U.S. Embassy Manila)
