ANI includes agrarian reform beneficiaries in its e-commerce platform

Listed agriculture company AgriNurture Inc. (ANI) is including agrarian reform beneficiaries in its e-commerce platform in a bid to connect them to merchants in the Philippines and other countries.

In a statement, ANI said it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) covering agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) and agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs).

Under the MOU, ANI said its project “aims to provide a facility to DAR’s agrarian reform beneficiaries/organizations through the digital online platform, aniexpress.1ani.com.ph.”

ANI said its online e-commerce platform is at the center of its “farm-to-plate model,” which aims to help the country's rice farmers in the far reaches of the countryside with financing and post-harvest agricultural machinery intended for their improved harvest and income.

The company said its project would create an ecosystem “wherein ARBs can easily connect with merchants and ensure a market for their harvests through the institutional buyer."

ANI added it will also serve as an institutional buyer of the produce of agrarian reform beneficiaries, serve as consolidator and facilitate logistics on pick-up of produce, provide a portal for DAR to generate reports and monitor the status of marketing and transactions, and assist agrarian reform beneficiaries with their  farm plan and management based on market requirements.

It added the marketing partnership is the initial phase of the firm’s project proposal to DAR.

The company said the project is expected to provide a digital financial infrastructure for the financial inclusion of agrarian reform beneficiaries in the later stages of the project.

ANI, established in 1997, exports its products to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and North America. Its brands include Big Chill, Tully’s, Cheesecake Etc., and plant- based meat substitute Fit Bites via auto vending machines, kiosks, cafeterias, and coffee shops, providing a range of food and beverage product lines.—AOL, GMA News