The Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF) said on Thursday it will increase the volume of vegetables that it sources from its partner-farmers’ cooperatives by 25 percent to 1,000 metric tons (MT) this year.
JGF Executive Director Giselle Tiongson also said the group is planning to add Luzon-based farmer-cooperatives in its network.
“From the current 12 [farmers’ organizations and cooperatives], we hope to expand to 15 this year and to 20 by next year,” Tiongson told reporters on the sidelines of JGF’s recognition day for its partner farmers’ cooperatives.
“That would translate to the current 400 farmers to a target of 500 farmers this year. And next year that might grow to 1,000 farmers, that’s our projection,” Tiongson added.
She noted that around 20 percent to 30 percent of the total vegetable requirement of its food corporations—Jolllibee, Greenwich, Mang Inasal and Chowking—are directly sourced from their partner-farmers’ cooperatives under their Farmer Entrepreneurship Program (FEP). The remaining volume is sourced from other suppliers.
Tiongson said the performances of the farmers under the FEP are evaluated based on a supplier-delivery performance matrix.
“We have a target of at least 85-percent score in every delivery. That means that there were only few rejected crops, the delivery was in time and in total of their required shipment,” she said.
The farmers’ cooperatives under the FEP supply carrots, cabbage, salad tomato, spring onion, fresh onion, chili pepper, calamansi and potato to Jollibee Foods Corp., (JFC) Tiongson said.
“Our biggest requirement is fresh onion because we use that in our burger patties. Followed by salad tomatoes,” Tiongson said.
Farmers’ cooperatives that are part of FEP include the Caoyan Onion Growers Producers Cooperative, Pantay Onion Growers Producers Cooperative, Tagudin Agroentrepreneurs Association, Alcala Onion Growers Multipurpose Cooperative and Hundred Islands
Farmpreneurs Association.
Also in JGF’s network of farmers’ cooperatives are Tugui Grande Fresh Produce Farmers Association, Kalasag Farmers Producers Cooperative, Onion and Vegetable Producers Cooperative, Alabat Island Farmers Producers Cooperative, Mayon Farmers Association, Lamac Multipurpose Cooperative, and another Laguna-based cooperative, which is under pilot testing.