MANILA - E-commerce startup Sarisuki said is looking to bring down the cost of fresh produce while helping raise farmers’ incomes by streamlining the supply chain.

Brian Cu, co-founder and CEO of Sarisuki, said the supply chain for fruits and vegetables in the country can involve up to seven layers of middlemen, which drives up prices.

Cu, who used to head ride-hailing giant Grab in the Philippines, said they aim to reduce this to just two by directly connect farmers and small entrepreneurs

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“What we're trying to do is really to create more value by going deeper into the supply chain,” Cu said in an interview with ANC.

The company aims to do this by “going upstream” with strategies such as contract farming or by renting idle land to transform these into farms.

He noted that in the Philippines, a hectare could yield 9 to 10 tons of eggplants. But in Vietnam, a similar hectare could yield 30 to 40 tons, thus resulting in cheaper prices.

Cu said that if Sarisuki can successfully build a logistics network from the farm to the consumer, they can reduce wastage, improve yields and bring down costs.

The platform looks to "empower" half a million business owners and a million farmers by 2028.

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