BUTUAN CITY – Farmers and aspiring agripreneurs from Caraga strengthened their knowledge and skills in enterprise development during the three-day Training on Business Enterprise Preparation Batch 2 conducted on May 20–22, 2026. The activity aimed to help participants develop sustainable agribusiness plans in coconut production and processing while improving their understanding of financial assistance programs, entrepreneurship, and business planning strategies.

The training provided participants with practical guidance on transforming agricultural ideas into viable business enterprises. Discussions focused on entrepreneurial mindset development, agribusiness opportunities, and risk assessment, proposal writing, and the preparation of Business Model Canvas (BMC) outputs. Participants were also introduced to government credit and financing programs designed to support farmers and agri-based enterprises.

Resource persons from various partner agencies and institutions shared their expertise during the activity. Ms. Darlene Thea Lim Rosales from the Land Bank of the Philippines discussed loan and financing programs available under the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP). Meanwhile, Ms. Catherine P. Nanale from the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office Caraga presented the Community-Based Participatory Action Research (CPAR) and Community Seed Banking (CSB) programs that support agricultural communities and enterprise initiatives.

Mr. Francis H. Iriarte facilitated discussions on basic record-keeping and simplified financial statement preparation, helping participants understand the importance of proper documentation and financial management in running agribusiness enterprises. In another session, Ms. April Aguilar Dabalos shared her personal experiences in business development and encouraged participants to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset grounded on perseverance, innovation, and continuous learning.

One of the highlights of the activity was the presentation of the participants’ Business Model Canvas outputs. The business proposals were reviewed and critiqued by community enterprise development consultant Mr. Victor Madlangbayan, who provided valuable insights, recommendations, and constructive feedback to help participants refine and strengthen the feasibility and sustainability of their proposed enterprises.

Ms. Rebecca Dalumpinez of Aupagan, Butuan City expressed appreciation and said, “I have learned many practical ideas, especially on record-keeping, basic accounting, and the preparation of Business Model Canvas outputs. This activity helped boost my confidence in presenting business ideas.”