Panatang Makapalay

source: http://www.philrice.gov.ph/nyrcontent.php?page3=nyrResources

NAFC, PNB ink agreement for special vehicle loan program

DA and NAFC officials, led by Sec. Proceso Alcala, formally seal their partnership with PNB representatives led by PNB President Omar Byron Mier during the MOA signing on February 25.

The Special Vehicle Loan Fund (SVLF) Program gets a major boost as the National Agricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC) sealed anew the partnership with the Philippine National Bank (PNB) in the provision of loan assistance to agriculture employees and extension workers.

The signing of the memorandum of agreement for the implementation of the Special Vehicle Loan Fund Program.

NAFC Executive Director Ariel Cayanan and PNB President Omar Byron Mier signed a new memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the implementation of the SVLF Program in the presence of Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Proceso Alcala, together with Undersecretary for Field Operations Joel Rudinas, Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Emerson Palad and DA Legal Service Chief Atty. Vero Librojo.

Other PNB officials present during the signing were Consumer Finance Group Head Elfren Antonio Sarte, Retail Banking Group Head Joven Hernandez and Senior Assistant Vice President Modette Cariño.

The said funds will be used to provide motorcycles to extension workers and other government employees involved in the country’s agricultural development which they could use to reach their clientele more efficiently and improve their performance.

Applicants can avail of the program from PNB payable in seven years with 7.25% interest rate per annum.

Since it was first launched in 1972 by the DA through NAFC, the timely and speedy delivery of basic agricultural and fishery technologies and services to farmers and fishermen, especially those in far-flung areas, have been addressed.

The program has already provided assistance of an estimated 20,000 motorcycle units, almost all of which have already been paid. At present, the guarantee fund has increased to approximately P430M as of December 2012.

Other partners who provided guarantee fund for the program were the National Economic and Development Authority, other government agencies and the Japanese Government through the 2KR facility.

The signing of the said memorandum signifies the re-launching of the said program which took a seven-year hiatus to give way to the needed evaluation of the program’s performance as well as revision of the guidelines.

This is also in response to the continued clamor of stakeholders especially agriculture employees of local government units (LGUs) hoping to avail of the program. To date, there are around 2,000 applications waiting to be served once the program resumes.

NAFC will also be meeting soon with other partners such as motorcycle companies, dealers, PNB branches, insurance providers and participating agencies at the national and regional levels and LGUs at the provincial, city and municipal levels which employ majority of the agricultural workforce.

source: http://nafc.da.gov.ph/NAFCNEWs/2013/pnb.html

NAFC to serve as secretariat of agri trade competitiveness committee

The first Agricultural Trade Competitiveness Committee meeting held last February 11, 2013 at the NAFC Apacible Conference Room.

The National Agricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC), led by Executive Director Ariel Cayanan, has been tasked to serve as the secretariat of the newly created Agricultural Trade Competitiveness Committee of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

This is in accordance with DA Special Order No. 77, dated January 28, 2013 which instituted the Agricultural Trade Competitiveness Committee. 

The committee is tasked to formulate strategic and focused programs and action plans, in close consultations with relevant private sector organizations, that will improve the overall agricultural trade performance thereby generating jobs, combating poverty and ensuring food security.

The committee will also identify, prioritize and implement essential agricultural services and programs that will support competitive business operations and strategic decision-making of the private sector thus further encouraging private sector investments in agricultural trade and exports.

It will also monitor and submit monthly reports to the Office of the Secretary on the progress implementation of approved agricultural trade promotion compliance standards and development programs, projects and action plans.

Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Emerson Palad acts as chairperson of the committee and Assistant Secretary for Agribusiness and Marketing Salvador Salacup serves as co-chairperson.

Undersecretary for Field Operations Joel Rudinas and Undersecretary for Special Concerns Bernadette Romulo-Puyat are also among the committee members. Other officials comprising the committee are the heads of Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS), Policy Research Service (PRS), Bureau of Plant Industry, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Bureau of Animal Industry, Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Products Standards, National Meat Inspection Service, Philippine Coconut Authority, Sugar Regulatory Administration, Fiber Industry Development Authority, DA-International Relations Division (IRD) and members of the Secretary’s Technical Advisory Group.

On February 11, 2013, the committee conducted its first meeting at the NAFC Apacible Conference Room.

Agriculture Attaché in Washington, D.C., U.S.A. Josyline Javelosa, Livestock Development Council Executive Director Manuel Jarmin and representatives from DA’s rice, corn and high value crops development programs were also present during the meeting.

The committee discussed the pronouncements of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala and his instructions to the Agriculture Attaches on exporting agriculture and fishery products, the top Philippine exports from 2009 to 2011, and the potential products for exports in Japan, the European Union, the Middle East, the United States of America, and cities such as Geneva, Switzerland; Rome, Italy; Beijing, China; and, Bangkok, Thailand.

 “If you look closely at the Secretary’s directions, although we are targeting self-sufficiency in several commodities especially our food staples, I think the policy is not to be confined to self-sufficiency. In fact, in several pronouncements, the Secretary has mentioned that we will also be exporting several commodities. One is to export new products, at the same time, maintain and possibly expand our existing products. But how can we achieve this if our competitiveness level is not going to be at par with the demands of the international market? That is why we are here today,” Undersecretary Palad said.

He also stressed that competitiveness does not only cater to the exported products but will also look into the local markets.

IRD Officer-in-Charge Noel de Luna also presented updates on latest agriculture trade policies, breakthroughs in negotiations and other trade-related matters based on the reports made by the Philippines’ agriculture attaches deployed in eight countries. Also included in his presentation are the top 20 export commodities for promotion this year in each of these key locations.

Meanwhile, Undersecretary Palad requested IRD and AMAS to prepare for the Agriculture Secretary a list of commodities that will be affected as the country endeavors to comply with or implement the requirements of the ASEAN Economic Community, a vision for the ASEAN community to be a region that has free movement of goods, services, investment, skilled labour, and freer flow of capital by the year 2015.

The committee chairman also asked members to accomplish a data form that details production areas, supply base and target market concerns of different agriculture and fishery commodities.

Undersecretary Emerson Palad, flanked by NAFC Executive Director Ariel Cayanan and Assistant Secretary Salvador Salacup, leads the committee in setting its direction.

NAFC Quarterly showcased in gov’t publication, ‘Ugnay’

National Library of the Philippines Asst. Director Yolanda Jacinto, PCOO Secretary Herminio Coloma and Optical Media Board Chairman Ronnie Ricketts during the presentation of the book “Ugnay: Connecting with the People.”

The National Agricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC) official newsletter, the NAFC Quarterly, has been included among the 500 government publications compiled into a book by the Bureau of Communications Services (BCS) of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) titled “Ugnay: Connecting with the People” which was launched last January 31, 2013 at the National Library of the Philippines in Manila. Communication and Information Delivery Section Chief Shirley Pascua signs the manifesto for NAFC. 

The said book, which lists publications of 20 government line departments, was produced to help the public navigate through the web of available government information resources as well as keep them informed about government initiatives by making these publications easily accessible. The book, which is also available in digital form, is the first of its kind in the public sector and is seen as the “ultimate reference material” for vital government information.Aside from the NAFC Quarterly, publications of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the rest of its attached agencies and regional field offices are also included in the compilation.

PCOO Secretary Herminio Coloma led the book launching and the opening of the exhibit that ensued, together with BCS Director John Manalili and National Library of the Philippines Assistant Director Yolanda Jacinto.

“With this book, we hope to connect with the people and engage them to act and make a change for our country. This is, after all, what our President hopes to achieve—that we walk on the Straight Path,” Sec. Coloma said in his speech.

A Manifesto of Renewed Support to the Government Publication Section of the National Library, which enjoins various agencies to regularly furnish the National Library with copies of their publications, was signed by heads and public information officers of the concerned agencies during the event.

Communication and Information Delivery Section Chief Shirley Pascua signed the said manifesto on behalf of NAFC.

A memorandum of understanding was also signed by BCS Director Manalili and National Library Asst. Director Jacinto in the presence of Sec. Coloma and Optical Media Board Chairman Ronnie Ricketts, who supported the BCS in the reproduction of the digital copy of the book through compact discs.

BCS Director Manalili said that they will be providing copies of the book to the National Library and a digital form will also be uploaded in the BCS website.

The book was developed by the BCS from November 2011 to June 2012 which involved gathering the content and conducting surveys for its layout and design.

http://nafc.da.gov.ph/NAFCNEWs/2013/ugnay.html

NAFC Quarterly showcased in gov’t publication, ‘Ugnay’

Twenty five years ago, the National Agricultural and Fishery Council was created by virtue of Executive Order 116 as an advisory body of the Department of Agriculture and a forum for consultative discussions within the agriculture and fisheries sector. It also facilitated the organization of Agricultural and Fishery Councils (AFCs) at every local administrative level, as well as sectoral committees at the national level or the NSCs.

The creation of these consultative bodies gave way to highlight the role of the private sector in nation-building, particularly in the processes of modernizing agriculture and fisheries. The private sector, on one hand, was glad to take the reins for it was an exciting prospect for them to be able to speak, be heard and be recognized as a partner of the government in decision-making.

“I think the biggest advantage with the creation of the RAFC is that there is government transparency, especially with the DA, and we (the private sector) are being involved in deliberating, discussing and monitoring the budget and programs of the DA. That’s the beauty of it, the private sector is involved,” second RAFC 10 Chairperson and pioneer Eduardo Pelaez said in an interview.

When NAFC was established, then Secretary Carlos Dominguez made sure that the private sector had the leadership and the voice in shaping the agriculture in the Philippines. RAFC 10 was the first AFC to be organized—through businessmen Guido Delgado and Pelaez himself. Private sector representatives in the council were mostly bankers, traders, members of civil society organizations, academe, non-government organizations, peoples’ organizations, and others.

“We were happy that the private sector met the challenge head on,” the late and former NAFC Deputy Exec. Dir. Guia Minguez recalled in a speech in 2005.

The agency then moved on to organizing the AFCs at the provincial level, starting with Bukidnon.

“With the challenge that we met in Region 10 and Bukidnon, and the promise it held, we moved on to other regions. Councils were organized in record time because the private sectors were hungry for such an opportunity to help shape agriculture in the country,” former NAFC Deputy Exec. Dir. Minguez once shared.

The AFCs were then seen as partners in progress as they served instrumental in resolving problems, issues and concerns confronting agriculture and fisheries, recommending programs and projects based on their community’s needs, and bringing to the attention of concerned agencies critical information that affects program and project implementation.

AFC members also monitor and evaluate the implementation of DA programs and projects and give feedback on how these are implemented and affect the lives of the members of their community.

Over the years, the role that the AFCs play in energizing Philippine agriculture has remained to be indispensable. As DA Secretary Proceso Alcala once told the AFC leaders, “‘Di kayang suklian ng kahit anong pasasalamat o halaga ang ginagampanan ng bawat isa sa inyo sa ating pamahalaan.”

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of this area-based partnership in agriculture and fisheries development, AFCs in various regions nationwide have conducted activities to highlight the milestones they have reached in years past. Following are the photos of the events held by the AFCs in their respective regions: