Engagement of grant improves agribusiness and production in Community

As one of the active producers in community, Ly Kosal who is 32 years old lives in Ou Romchech village, Trapang Chorng commune, Bakan districut. She married to Mr. Yun Kosal, they have 3 children included 5 months pregnant. Their current job is farmer major as vegetable producer and her husband is construction worker which is addition job after have done farming.

Ms. Ly Kosal has growth vegetable for supplying to local collector and sale in local community market (Trapang Chorng market) only. In additional, she had earned extra income from selling noodles and porridge as local breakfast for villager. Since she has constraint to access with good quality of agriculture input nearby her community while other producers also been difficulty to find out agriculture input which meet their need too. Most of them have to travel long distant to access with agriculture input as individually cause them receive higher cost of product per unit and spending on individual travel cost included traffic accident risk might be happening as occasionally while they travel from village to town.      

While ProMarket came to Bakan on 19 September 2019, she has been joined as producer group in her community and received strengthening and capacity building with many different of training modules from JBH centre and Pro-Market team as (1) leadership and management (2) Business governance (3) Financial and Marketing management (4) Nine selection crop included Post harvest technology (5) Farm Organizing (FO) (6) Farmer Business Advisor, and (7) Good Agriculture practice included cross learning and provide consulting  directly to her farm through crop planning developing and cross field visit . Those are helpful to building her confident through exchange practical experiences, purchase and supply between group, and organize crop planning based on premium market demand. 

Dues to confident has been built from Pro-Market team, she had ability to organize proposal with her producer members to applied grant for start-up agribusiness on agriculture input supply in community while grant had been announcing for each PG. Since Pro-Market grants are planning to strengthen PGs based on purpose which been address in proposal to serve solution of PG constraint through motivate group to be active, increase profit of each PG member under collaborate with PDAFF-PST.  Based on her PGs proposal approval, her group has been received USD 1,800 to run agribusiness on agriculture input supply in community for providing service each PG member to access good quality of agriculture input and reasonable prise which been contribute to reduce cost of produce.  

Grants has provided PG member opportunity extend production size since cost of produce been decrease after agriculture input much easy to access nearby their community. While her PGs has gone through their business plan, members can purchase many different farm materials include varieties of good quality of seed with reasonable price based on promotion have been received from big diallers when purchase order as group.

Based on her PGs practical of agriculture input supply business, her PG been used financial management book to record income and expense as proof of transparency and accountability. Stock control also been included in her PG business management, invoice and receipt have been used to purchase and sale as evident.     

Since grant available in her PG, the practical of agriculture input been faster and easy, also building trust of PG member to be confident with quality of those input with least expense of travel cost and non-traffic accident risk. Grant also help our producer to keep growing event without capital through receive credit agriculture input as cycle period after harvesting done, they can return cash to PGs with low credit interest. Kosal is confident that her group will improve through grants been invest in this business included each PG members’ family.

A significant change has been received from grant on PGs agriculture input supply which been impact to PG member received good result of improvement PG member production plan match market requirement which is strategy of project. It has been proved to PG member who purchase from PG, they can receive good quality of input and non-travel cost include safety and save time.

Sustainable Produce to Market Value Chain Enhancement (Pro-Market) Project is supported by the New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, ADRA New Zealand, and ADRA Australia.