Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) planning to return to the Philippines are being encouraged to consider agribusiness as a possible source of income and investment as they transition back home.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) presented its programs for aspiring OFW entrepreneurs during a forum in Seoul, South Korea, held on September 14 as part of a caravan organized by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
Participants were briefed on available financing assistance, training opportunities, and market-linkage programs that could support their entry into the agriculture sector.
“We want our OFWs who are preparing to come home to see agriculture not just as a business they can build, but as an opportunity to contribute to food security and nation building,” said DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. in a statement.
DA Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness, Marketing, and Consumer Affairs Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra said agriculture can provide returning OFWs with avenues for entrepreneurship and investment while supporting long-term income generation.
“Agriculture is not only vital to our food and nutrition security; it also offers returning OFWs opportunities for entrepreneurship, investment, and sustainable income. We want them to see that agriculture today is no longer limited to traditional farming, but is a dynamic technology-driven business sector,” said Velicaria-Guevarra.
The initiative builds on an agreement signed in 2024 between the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the DA to help OFWs and their families who plan to establish agricultural enterprises as part of their reintegration.
Under the memorandum of understanding, prospective OFW “agri-preneurs” are set to receive technical assistance and other forms of support through entrepreneurship development initiatives under the government’s national reintegration program for OFWs and their families.
