3 departments, private sector to promote RP agri products overseas

The Department of Agriculture (DA) will work with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and a private sector-led council in promoting agricultural and fishery products overseas.

Under a memorandum of agreement (MOA), the three departments and the private-sector led Export Development Council (EDC), agreed to pool their resources to expand existing markets and tap new ones for Philippine farm exports.

The MOA was signed yesterday morning in Malacanang by Secretaries Arthur Yap of the DA, Alberto Romulo of the DFA, Peter Favila of the DTI and business leader Sergio Ortiz-Luis of the EDC.

Ortiz-Luis is also the president of the Philippine Exporters Confederation (Philexport) and chairman emeritus of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The signing was witnessed by Undersecretaries Thomas G. Aquino of the DTI, Edsel T. Custodio of the DFA and Bernadette Romulo Puyat of the DA.

The DA had earlier teamed up with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to develop the aquaculture subsector to ensure its sustainability and mitigate the negative impact on the environment.

Yap said the MOA with the DTI, DFA and EDC covers priority categories in the agri-fishery sector such as fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, marine products, meat products, root crops, natural fiber, horticulture, plantation crops, wood products, herbal products, and natural ingredients.

The three departments and the EDC agreed to hold regular consultative meetings with stakeholders, undertake market research on potential export and investment opportunities, and identify and negotiate possible sources of funds and technical assistance for the development of the agri-fishery sector.

All four also agreed to set up a technical committee that will craft the criteria for projects covered by the agreement and develop an annual work program to be approved and monitored by the EDC, which will serve as the oversight body tasked to monitor the activities of the three departments.