Quezon E-commerce Services Office (QUESO) is an innovative, dynamic start-up office, proposed to be created under Office of the Governor, by issuance of an Executive Order, providing e-commerce support and services for the constituents of Quezon particularly the farmers thru their cooperatives.

   This office intends to establish itself as the arm of the Provincial Government of Quezon that would not only provide the Quezon farmers of the latest technology in farming and cultivation, but also create for them a market that is global, timely, fair and affordable.

    It intends to bring the services primarily to the Quezon farmers thru their cooperatives. Most of the farmers should know about e-commerce can be disseminated thru these organized and systematic conduits. Also, with these agencies, services like training, e.g., basic computer operation and doing internet e-commerce, can be easily communicated to the farmers.

   With the help of this project, the gateway to the e-marketplace will be opened wider to our farmers and constituents. It means serving them the bigger slice of cake. Back in 1997, this “cake” or the goods and services bought by Filipinos from the Internet were already valued at $1.6 million; came 2002 when the Philippine Internet sales is estimated to worth $383.66 million. According to Mr. Edgardo Herbosa, about P2.7 billion worth of agriculture products and services are traded annually by 1,500 farmer cooperatives at his B2Bpricenow.com. This, however, is just a fraction of the gross value of agricultural production last 2002 which was estimated at P617.9 billion.

   Ecommerce would surely increase farmers’ production by expanding their customer reach, generating more sales for themselves and revenues for the province; it can expand their supplier base generating savings from purchases. They can find the best price for their commodity of interest wherever they may be 24 hours a day via their SMS or WAP phone. Farmers can set a meeting on a virtual meeting place without leaving their municipality. Clients can negotiate their contract terms, their desired price, quantity, inspection and delivery terms, and payment schedules. Contracts can be easily closed and are legally binding with parties’ electronic signature. They can process transaction flows scaling down or phasing out the entire backroom operation and they don’t need to ever print any transaction documents. Payment online in any of the affiliated banks for a fraction of a cost can be done with utmost ease.

   It is also interesting to point out who will benefit from this project because our list of beneficiaries includes not just farmers or the members of the chamber of commerce and industry group or the SMEs, but majority of the Quezonians, if not all.