Wensilito F Gomez, The ACPC Pilot Whose Plane Is Loaded With Agripreneurs

Today, in Nueva Ecija, I’m thinking of Wensilito F Gomez thinking of piloting others on their way to becoming agripreneurs, farmers with the entrepreneurial spirit. His plane has the initials ANYO.

(“plane passengers” image[1] from Megapixl)

ANN tells Mr Gomez’ story, “From Dreaming Of Becoming A Pilot To Being A Successful Agripreneur Through The Agri-Negosyo Program[2]” (ACPC, ACPC.gov.ph). Mr Gomez is very happy with the P480,000 borrowed from the Agri-Negosyo (ANYO) Loan Program of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC), an agency of the Department of Agriculture. Very happy, because an ANYO loan has zero interest; with it, his agribusiness has grown Big. Mr Gomez’ success should encourage others to cultivate their entrepreneurial spirit.

Wife Josefinasays, “Because of agribusiness, we have helped many people.” (With ANN’s Tagalog interview, I’m translating freely.) Mr Gomez says, “They are part of the business.” That’s attitude – with good attitude comes good vibes. With the ANYO loan, “With a bigger capital, we can buy more. Help more. Not only those in our barangay but other barangays.” They own the W Gomez Vegetables and Grain Trading in Kaliwanagan, San Jose City. Kaliwanagan means “illumination” – Gomez Trading has brought brightness to the marketing of farm produce in those barangays.

ANN says that before all this, Mr Gomez dreamt of becoming a pilot, but his parents, ordinary farmers, could not afford to rent an airplane at P1,000/hour for training. He was working in Manila as an aircraft maintenance technician in the Philippine Airlines and also in the warehouse of Presto Ice Cream, when “his father asked him to return home and help him in their farm.” He returned home, and then he saw the way he could help the farmers: buy their produce and bring it to Manila.

Mr Gomez says:

Farmers like me found a problem with marketing our produce at harvest time. Like now, we have a surplus of pepper, they will find it difficult to sell. Almost giving away the produce. So I thought I could help because I had some knowledge of marketing produce. I also buy palay, to help the farmers, so that the price will not fall that much. That is the business I was thinking.

He tried other business ventures, but agribusiness kept calling him. “Whatever else I did, even if I went to other businesses, agribusiness brought me back.”

So today, farmers in their area do not worry anymore about marketing their produce. “I am now the only merchant here. I do the networking to where the produce will go.”

And today, Mr Gomez is thinking of helping others set their minds in agribusiness. ANN says, “He reminds agripreneurs that they should have commitment to their business.” His advice:

What’s sweet in agribusiness, you are helping the farmers. Not only for you to make money. I teach what I have learned, that farming is a business. What’s the style? I shorten the financial gap between planting and harvesting. The farmer has money while harvesting.

Mr Gomez is helping farmers help themselves!@517

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[1]https://www.megapixl.com/airline-passengers-illustration-12979698

[2]https://acpc.gov.ph/from-dreaming-of-becoming-a-pilot-to-being-a-successful-agripreneur-through-the-agri-negosyo-program/