Wensilito F Gomez, The ACPC Pilot Whose Plane Is Loaded With Agripreneurs
(“plane passengers” image[1] from Megapixl)
ANN tells Mr Gomez’ story, “From Dreaming Of Becoming A
Pilot To Being A Successful Agripreneur Through The Agri-Negosyo Program[2]” (ACPC, ACPC.gov.ph). Mr Gomez is very
happy with the P480,000 borrowed from
the Agri-Negosyo (ANYO) Loan Program of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council
(ACPC), an agency of the Department of Agriculture. Very happy, because an ANYO
loan has zero interest; with it, his agribusiness has grown Big. Mr Gomez’ success
should encourage others to cultivate their entrepreneurial spirit.
Wife Josefina
says, “Because of agribusiness, we have helped many people.” (With ANN’s
Tagalog interview, I’m translating freely.) Mr Gomez says, “They are part of
the business.” That’s attitude – with
good attitude comes good vibes. With the ANYO loan, “With a bigger capital,
we can buy more. Help more. Not only those in our barangay but other
barangays.” They own the W Gomez
Vegetables and Grain Trading in Kaliwanagan, San Jose City. Kaliwanagan means “illumination” – Gomez
Trading has brought brightness to the
marketing of farm produce in those barangays.
ANN says that before all this, Mr Gomez dreamt of becoming a
pilot, but his parents, ordinary farmers, could not afford to rent an airplane
at P1,000/hour for training. He was
working in Manila as an aircraft maintenance technician in the Philippine Airlines and also in the
warehouse of Presto Ice Cream, when
“his father asked him to return home and help him in their farm.” He returned home,
and then he saw the way he could help the farmers: buy their produce and bring it
to Manila.
Mr Gomez says:
Farmers like me found a
problem with marketing our produce at harvest time. Like now, we have a surplus
of pepper, they will find it difficult to sell. Almost giving away the produce.
So I thought I could help because I had some knowledge of marketing produce. I
also buy palay, to help the farmers, so that the price will not fall that much.
That is the business I was thinking.
He tried other business ventures, but agribusiness kept
calling him. “Whatever else I did, even if I went to other businesses,
agribusiness brought me back.”
So today, farmers in their area do not worry anymore about
marketing their produce. “I am now the only merchant here. I do the networking
to where the produce will go.”
And today, Mr Gomez is thinking of helping others set their
minds in agribusiness. ANN says, “He reminds agripreneurs that they should have
commitment to their business.” His advice:
What’s sweet in
agribusiness, you are helping the farmers. Not only for you to make money. I
teach what I have learned, that farming is a business. What’s the style? I
shorten the financial gap between planting and harvesting. The farmer has money
while harvesting.
Mr
Gomez is helping farmers help themselves!@517
Comments
Post a Comment