The Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Credit Policy Council (DA-ACPC) spearheaded the conduct of the Agribusiness Pitch Challenge, one of the competitions featured during the 1st Youth in Agriculture Summit.

Said competition aims to encourage the youth to engage in agriculture, fishery and agribusiness ventures. The initiative also aims to ensure the continuous creation of investible ideas and start up originators that will contribute to enhancing the DA’s food security objectives.

The top three finalists out of 160 young agripreneur (yaggies) applicants delivered their best pitches before a panel of experts during the competition wherein 28-year-old Daryl Gumacal of Agusan del Sur was adjudged the grand winner.

With his winning pitch on Red Tilapia Nursery and Grow Out, Gumacal, who has a seven-year background on integrated farming, took home P40,000 and the honor of being crowned the inaugural winner of said pitching contest.

Meanwhile, John Lester Arellaga, a 22-year-old Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering student from Palawan, copped the 2nd place and a P25,000 cash prize with his pitch on Vermiculture Integration. Twenty-six-year-old Agriculture student Jernet Lago of Negros Oriental, on the other hand, settled for 3rd place and P15,000 with her presentation on Sustainable Production of Tilapia and Vermiculture/Vermicomposting.

“Napaka-gandang experience nito para sa’kin. This will serve as motivation for me to continue agribusiness,” said Gumacal. “Sa mga kabataan, walang ibang mas magandang oras para magsimula sa agribusiness kung hindi ngayon,” he added.

The panel of judges who acted as venture capitalists, investors, and business executives during the competition are DA Undersecretary Waldo Carpio, Assistant Secretary Jane Bacayo, Assistance Secretary and Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries Executive Director (PCAF) Liza Battad and Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) Deputy Director Rosana Mula.

A total of 160 aspiring young agripreneurs nationwide submitted their agribusiness plans to the DA-ACPC. After thorough review and evaluation by the DA-ACPC Selection Committee led by Executive Director Jocelyn Alma Badiola, the top 10 and eventually, the top three entries were determined. The Selection Committee was composed of representatives from DA-ACPC’s Advocacy, Programs Development and Communications & Public Affairs Divisions. “We hope that the youth were inspired by our top three finalists to also come up with their own agribusiness plan,” said ED Badiola. “If they need working capital, I encourage them to

The Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Credit Policy Council (DA-ACPC) spearheaded the conduct of the Agribusiness Pitch Challenge, one of the competitions featured during the 1st Youth in Agriculture Summit.

Said competition aims to encourage the youth to engage in agriculture, fishery and agribusiness ventures. The initiative also aims to ensure the continuous creation of investible ideas and start up originators that will contribute to enhancing the DA’s food security objectives.

The top three finalists out of 160 young agripreneur (yaggies) applicants delivered their best pitches before a panel of experts during the competition wherein 28-year-old Daryl Gumacal of Agusan del Sur was adjudged the grand winner.

With his winning pitch on Red Tilapia Nursery and Grow Out, Gumacal, who has a seven-year background on integrated farming, took home P40,000 and the honor of being crowned the inaugural winner of said pitching contest.

Meanwhile, John Lester Arellaga, a 22-year-old Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering student from Palawan, copped the 2nd place and a P25,000 cash prize with his pitch on Vermiculture Integration. Twenty-six-year-old Agriculture student Jernet Lago of Negros Oriental, on the other hand, settled for 3rd place and P15,000 with her presentation on Sustainable Production of Tilapia and Vermiculture/Vermicomposting.

“Napaka-gandang experience nito para sa’kin. This will serve as motivation for me to continue agribusiness,” said Gumacal. “Sa mga kabataan, walang ibang mas magandang oras para magsimula sa agribusiness kung hindi ngayon,” he added.

The panel of judges who acted as venture capitalists, investors, and business executives during the competition are DA Undersecretary Waldo Carpio, Assistant Secretary Jane Bacayo, Assistance Secretary and Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries Executive Director (PCAF) Liza Battad and Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) Deputy Director Rosana Mula.

A total of 160 aspiring young agripreneurs nationwide submitted their agribusiness plans to the DA-ACPC. After thorough review and evaluation by the DA-ACPC Selection Committee led by Executive Director Jocelyn Alma Badiola, the top 10 and eventually, the top three entries were determined. The Selection Committee was composed of representatives from DA-ACPC’s Advocacy, Programs Development and Communications & Public Affairs Divisions. “We hope that the youth were inspired by our top three finalists to also come up with their own agribusiness plan,” said ED Badiola. “If they need working capital, I encourage them to apply through DA-ACPC’s Kapital Access for Young Agripreneurs (KAYA), which offers uncollateralized and no-interest loan up to P500,000, payable up to five years,” she added. 

Young Agripreneur Daryl Gumacal delivers his winning pitch during the Agribusiness Pitch Challenge, one of the highlights of the Department of Agriculture’s 1st Youth in Agriculture Summit.

The panel of experts during the competition included DA Undersecretary Waldo Carpio (top rightmost), (below, from left) Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) Deputy Director Rosana Mula, Assistant Secretary Jane Bacayo and Assistance Secretary and Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries Executive Director (PCAF) Liza Battad.
Agribusiness Pitch Challenge Top 10 Entries