Thursday, October 27, 2016

Luzon B requests for extension of rice QR

Representatives from the concerned Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Field Offices (RFOs), LGUs, rice farmers’ organizations, traders/millers, seed growers, input suppliers, Agricultural and Fishery Councils (AFCs), National Sectoral Committees (NSCs), and civil society organizations during the panel discussion.

“Extend waiver on QR and no to NFA abolition.”

This is the stand of vice chairperson of National Sectoral Committee - Committee on Food Staples Romeo Royandoyan during the second leg of the cluster-wide consultation on rice QR on September 28, 2016 at Hotel Rembrandt, Quezon City.

Organized by the Department of Agriculture (DA), through Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF), the series of cluster-wide consultations aimed to gather inputs from rice stakeholders all over the country to help the government on what policy option they may take in relation to the impending expiration of the waiver on the special treatment on rice in 2017.
The first option is securing another waiver while the second option is to tariffy.

According to Marlito Cabuños of Policy Research Service (PRS), if the second option is chosen, there are three more choices to be considered. First, tariffy based on the formula of tariff equivalent; second,tariffication plus upward adjustment of the tariff equivalent; lastly, tariffy and negotiate with ASEAN member states.

“Kung ako po ay kagaya nung kay Sec. Piñol na bigyan ng 2 taon pa para patunayan na kaya nating makipag-compete. Ang pwede nating gawin ay gumamit ng mechanization to improve yield.
PHILMECH ay nagtuturo kung paano gumamit ng rice transplanter,” a panelist from PHILMECH said.

The undertaking also primarily aims to discuss the possible consequences that may arise from the government’s policy choices.

“This is a critical event for us because as a developing country, we also need to counterbalance the advantages and disadvantages of the decision that we will pursue,” PCAF Officer-in-Charge Executive Director Sarah Gutierrez-Cayona said on her opening message.

The discussions were also focused on different factors such as seeds, credit, irrigation, marketing, land conversion, crop insurance, funding, and subsidy on fertilizer.

Preceding the Luzon B cluster consultation is the Luzon A-wide which was held in Angeles City, Pampanga on September 22, 2016. The Visayas consultation will be held on October 5, 2016 at Iloilo City.

Sunday, October 23, 2016

PCAF joins World Food Day

Photo shows PCAF OIC Director Sarah Gutierrez- Cayona, together with PCAF staff as they take part in the 2016 World Food Day Celebration. Second photo shows PCAF’s flag bearer (3rd from right) lining up with other flag bearers of the bureaus and agencies of the Department of Agriculture during the opening program. 

The Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) reiterated its commitment to eradicate hunger and poverty worldwide as it joined the World Food Day (WFD) Culminating Program in Liwasang Aurora in Quezon City on October 14, 2016.

Led by PCAF OIC Director Sarah Gutierrez-Cayona, almost 90 employees participated in the event with the theme “Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too”, a global call to strengthen climate action plans and invest in rural development to address the adverse effects of climate change.

Established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) member countries, WFD is observed annually in more than 150 countries across the world.

Also part of the celebration was the awarding of Outstanding Rural Women and Young Artists for the on-the-spot poster-making contest. Present in the awarding were Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary for Administration and Finance Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, other officials from DA, and executives from the United Nations and FAO.

PCAF and the entire family of DA also joined the candle-lighting ceremony while reading the 2016 WFD Pledge.

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Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Bridging Linkages


Bridging Linkages. Along with more than 400 exhibitors from the agriculture and fisheries sector, the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) joined anew in the 2016 AgriLink/FoodLink/AquaLink on October 6 to 8, 2016 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. The three-day event gathered more than 25 thousand visitors and focused on the resiliency of agriculture sector, especially in agribusiness and livestock production of the newly formed Negros Island Region.

The exhibit provided an opportunity for PCAF to showcase its mandate where it establishes a nationwide network of agricultural and fishery councils to serve as the forum for consultative and continuing discussions with the agriculture and fisheries sectors. Photo 1 shows AgriLink’s Foundation for Resource Linkage and Development president and PCAF’s National Sectoral Committees and Strategic Concerns Committees member Antonio Roces (left) explains to Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Emmanuel Piñol (2nd left) the importance of PCAF in ensuring the success of DA’s programs and projects. Also, photo 2 shows a PCAF employee talks to a group of farmer-entrepreneurs from Batangas City about PCAF and its Advisory Special Bodies.