The SM Group said it supports the agriculture sector to improve livelihood, food security and economy.
It said food retail affiliate and community shopping mall chain WalterMart, through its Palengke Fresh program, provides Filipino farmers with solid market access that enables them to bring healthy farm-fresh produce to customers efficiently.
WalterMart integrate farmers across 38 stores by providing a venue for them to sell daily.
“Making a difference in people’s lives has been an advocacy of the group borne from the simple dream of SM founder Henry Sy, Sr. to uplift the livelihood of local farming communities,” said SM Investments Corp. president and chief executive Frederic DyBuncio.
“By harnessing our resources, particularly our retail properties, we aim to empower local farmers, strengthen rural economies and contribute to food security and poverty alleviation in the country,” he said.
The Palengke Fresh program along with SM Foundation’s Kabalikat sa Kabahuyan [KSK] are concrete examples of how the SM Group is working closely with the agriculture sector to help elevate farming communities in the Philippines.
Officials said quality and affordable products await customers through WalterMart’s Palengke Fresh market.
“Our partnership with local producers through the Palengke Fresh program bridges the gap between farm and table and cultivates a sustainable agricultural culture between farmers and customers with each direct sale. For us to make an impact on the livelihood of our farmers, we make it to a point that they are involved in our supply chain process,” said WalterMart president Jennilyn Uy.
Joseph Galolo, a farmer from Sitio Kada, Mankayan in Benguet is among the partners of WalterMart’s Palengke Fresh program.
“We were given an opportunity to transport our products. Now, we don’t have to think about where to market our produce and instead, all we have to do is to tend to our products by ensuring their quality and freshness when they reach the consumers,” Galolo said.
Nueva Ecija farmer Crisanto Santos said the initiative helps farmers like him as their products fetch better prices than usual.
“To all those who support WalterMart and Palengke Fresh, thank you. These products produced by farmers help us to have a better livelihood,” Santos said.
The Palengke Fresh program started in February 2022 with a couple of stores in Central Luzon. It has now transformed into one of WalterMart’s flagship programs in reaching out to more farmers and serving the best available produce to its customers.
The program has empowered several farmer cooperatives, selling over 2000 metric tons of produce, significantly bolstering their income and fostering sustainable livelihoods.