CPLFC urges DA to profile cost structures in Phl poultry, livestock

DA Assistant Secretary for Field Operations Edilberto De Luna, CPLFC Chairperson Rufina Salas, DA Undersecretary for Livestock Jose Reaño and PCAF Exec. Director Ariel Cayanan lead the CPLFC meeting on January 27.

With the Philippines set to further strengthen relations and liberalize trade with its neighboring countries, there is a need to establish the price and cost competitiveness of the poultry and livestock subsectors’ production.

This was stressed by the members of the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) Committee on Poultry, Livestock and Feed Crops (CPLFC) in a meeting on January 27, 2014.

“In determining how the subsector compares with its ASEAN counterparts, its costs of production such as input supply, transport costs, government taxes, and transaction costs including subsidies, should be profiled and analyzed,” the CPLFC said in a resolution passed during the meeting.

Thus, the committee, through the said resolution, urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) to conduct profiling of cost structures in the country’s poultry and livestock subsectors.

The committee explained that benchmarking initiatives will highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the poultry and livestock subsectors, which will be useful in deciding on an overall plan to boost its opportunities in the local and international markets.

CPLFC members agreed that the results of these efforts will also enable the government to identify the areas where it could concentrate its support measures for the poultry and livestock subsectors.

The said meeting was held to give way for the presentation and discussion of poultry and livestock issues that were raised during the area-wide orientations on the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) held by the DA in partnership with PCAF.

CPLFC members emphasized that the competitiveness of Philippine poultry and livestock in the ASEAN market is also a priority and its stability should be ensured so that it can continue to contribute to the country’s economy.

For more than 20 years, the poultry and livestock subsectors have been key drivers of Philippine agriculture, having contributed as high as 44% to the country’s total agricultural growth and serving as main sources of income and livelihood for many Filipinos.

However, the CPLFC noted the decline of the said subsectors to about 18% from 2000 to 2010, further underscoring the need to give more attention to their development, especially with the approaching AEC in 2015.

Also see: http://nafc.da.gov.ph/NAFCNEWs/2014/cplfc.html

2KR Liaison Committee tackles ongoing initiatives, proposed project for Yolanda-hit areas

As part of the bilateral agreement between the Governments of Japan and the Philippines, the Japan 2KR Liaison Committee meeting among the Embassy of Japan, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Agriculture (DA) and Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) was held last January 22, 2014 to discuss the status of the implementation of the 2KR Grant as well as the proposed project for areas affected by super typhoon Yolanda.

NEDA Public Investment Staff Director Florante Igtiben (seventh from left) presides the Japan 2KR Liaison Committee meeting among officials from the Embassy of Japan, JICA, NEDA, DA and PCAF held at the NEDA Office in Pasig City.

PCAF Exec. Dir. Ariel Cayanan presented the status of the counterpart funds or the peso proceeds, the ongoing agriculture and fishery projects funded out of the peso proceeds and publicity and promotion initiatives for the projects and activities under the 2KR Grant or the Japanese Grant Assistance for the Food Security Project for Underprivileged Farmers.
Currently, there are six on-going projects under the 2KR Grant with an approved project cost of PHP 830.1 million. The projects are the Agrikultura: Kaagapay ng Bayang Pinoy (AKBay) Program, Enhancing Rural Employment Through Promotion of Village-Based -Dairy Enterprises, Enhancing Farmers’ Capacity to Access, Analyze and Utilize Statistical Information, Rehabilitation of Small-Scale Irrigation Projects for Upland Productivity and Resource Sustainability, Upgrading of the Pesticide Residue Laboratories, and Rehabilitation and Modernization of Livestock “Oksyon” Markets.

Dir. Cayanan also presented the proposed AKBay Phase II project that aims to assist the rehabilitation efforts for areas affected by typhoon Yolanda. PCAF Deputy Exec. Dir. Florabelle Uy-Yap discussed the details of the strategies for the AKBay II implementation during the open forum.

Willie de Perio of the NEDA Monitoring and Evaluation Staff presented the status of the agency’s implemented Japan 2KR social development projects and Junibert de Sagun of the DA Project Development Service (PDS) gave updates on the status of 1998 Japan 2KR assistance for the drought victims in Mindanao.

PCAF Exec. Dir. Ariel Cayanan, together with Special Projects Division Chief Elgie Namia and PCAF Deputy Exec. Dir. Florabelle Uy-Yap, discusses the status of the peso proceeds, ongoing projects and the proposed AKBay II project for Yolanda-hit areas with the Japanese officials.

Embassy of Japan’s First Secretary, Agriculture Ryutaro Aoki thanked PCAF for the comprehensive presentation and asked about the AKBay II proposal, particularly on the assurance that there will be no duplication of assistance given by other donors and organizations.

JICA Resident Representative Yohiyuki Ueno, on the other hand, stressed the immediate need to facilitate the preparatory process so that the Japanese government could soon issue its concurrence to the project.

JICA Senior Program Officer on Poverty Reduction Ervin Mella, Jr. also emphasized the need to ensure that the assistance is given to typhoon-affected individuals who are in most need of it.

NEDA Public Investment Staff Director Florante Igtiben presided the meeting which was also attended by JICA DA Resident Expert Takashi Fujimori, DA-PDS representatives, directors and officers of NEDA’s Public Investment Staff, Agriculture Staff, Monitoring and Evaluation Staff and Regional Development and Coordination Staff, and PCAF officers and staff.

See also: http://nafc.da.gov.ph/NAFCNEWs/2014/liaison.html

Setting efforts in motion for the implementation of AFMech Law

PCAF Deputy Exec. Dir. Florabelle Uy-Yap (top photo), together with AFMeC Vice Chairperson Ariodear Rico and DA Personnel Division OIC Marites Bernardo, speaks to the participants of the planning workshop for the implementation of the AFMech Law held on January 20 and 21, 2014.

Following Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala’s signing of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 10601 or the Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization Law (AFMech Law) in December last year, the Department of Agriculture (DA) and its consultative arm, the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF), have hit the ground running early 2014 by conducting a planning workshop to work on the modified organizational structures of concerned DA bureaus, attached agencies and Regional Agricultural Engineering Divisions (RAEDs).

In line with Section 24, Rule 24.3.1 of the AFMech Law IRR, the DA, through the Agricultural and Fishery Mechanization Committee (AFMeC), spearheaded the planning workshop last January 20 and 21 at the PCAF Apacible Conference Room. This is to finalize the modified organizational structure and staffing pattern of DA bureaus, attached agencies and corporations implementing or undertaking agri-fishery mechanization, infrastructure and engineering programs or projects.

The agencies and institutions represented during the workshop were the Agricultural Training Institute, Bureau of Animal Industry, Bureau of Plant Industry, Bureau of Agricultural Research, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Bureau of Soils and Water Management, Philippine Coconut Authority, Philippine Carabao Center, Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PhilMech), Philippine Rice Research Institute, Philippine Fiber Development Authority, National Dairy Authority, National Food Authority, National Irrigation Administration, National Meat Inspection Service, National Tobacco Administration, and Sugar Regulatory Administration, and PCAF.

Representatives from the DA Personnel Division, Legal Office, Regional Field Offices (RFOs) and RAEDs were also present.

PCAF Deputy Executive Director Florabelle Uy-Yap welcomed all the participants and formally opened the activity on behalf of Exec. Dir. Ariel Cayanan who was at another important engagement.
In a message read by DED Yap, Dir. Cayanan stressed that the AFMech Law is a vital instrument in creating globally competitive agricultural and fishery products, services, and machinery industry, especially in light of the realization of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015.

Fine-tuning structures and functions

In strengthening the DA agricultural and fishery engineering groups and pursuant to Section 46 of R.A. 8435 (Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997), a Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering (BAFE) will be created as a regular bureau of the DA under the supervision of a DA Undersecretary.

The BAFE will, among other functions, coordinate, oversee and monitor the national planning and implementation of agri-fisheries engineering, farm-to-market road and other agri-fisheries infrastructure projects. It will also assist in the national planning, coordination and implementation of the national agri-fisheries mechanization programs.

The Bureau is also tasked to coordinate and monitor the enforcement of standards and other regulatory policies on agricultural and fishery engineering and implement accreditation and registration scheme for agriculture and fishery machinery, tools and equipment, in coordination with technology generators.

Also, the BAFE will issue permits to operate to agriculture and fishery tools and equipment manufacturers, fabricators, assemblers and importers and promulgate and implement accreditation guidelines for testing centers.

The BAFE will be headed by a Bureau Director and Assistant Bureau Director to be appointed by President Benigno S. Aquino III.

Representatives from various DA bureaus, attached agencies and Regional Field Units work on finalizing their agencies’ modified structure and staffing pattern.

To strengthen the provision of agricultural engineering services necessary to carry out the field implementation of DA’s agricultural and fishery engineering, mechanization and infrastructure programs and projects, the enforcement of the AFMech Law entails modifications in the organizational structure and staffing pattern of the DA RFOs for the creation of Agricultural Engineering Division.

Likewise, Rule 24.3.1 strengthens the Infrastructure Support and Coordination Section, currently headed by Engr. Francia Macalintal, into an Agricultural and Fishery Mechanization and Engineering Division to effectively provide secretariat and technical support to the AFMeC. It will also serve as the implementing unit of the DA-Constructors Performance Evaluation System, coordinate and monitor local AFMeC activities and conduct policy formulation, analysis, advocacy and program development on agri-fishery mechanization.

Apart from this, all concerned bureaus and attached agencies of the DA implementing agri-fishery mechanization and infrastructure projects are tasked to review and modify their organizational structure and staffing pattern to strengthen the provision of agricultural engineering services as part of the overall network of the BAFE.

Thus, a workshop was conducted on the second day of the activity to harmonize overlaps and duplication of functions and prepare the common structures of agri-fishery engineering groups and services.

The participants were divided into four groups who each worked on fine-tuning the organizational structure, functions and staffing pattern of concerned DA bureaus, attached agencies, RFUs and engineering groups.

The participants were also tasked to determine the positions required for the creation of new units or expansion and strengthening of existing offices as well as the budgetary requirements with special focus on the professional services needed.

In closing, PhilMech Dir. Rex Bingabing commended the accomplishments of the attendees of the planning workshop and encouraged them to continue their efforts and support for the successful implementation of the AFMech Law. 

See also: http://nafc.da.gov.ph/NAFCNEWs/2014/write.html

Climate Change Committee underscores integration of climate change adaptation measures in post-'Yolanda' efforts

Alyansa Agrikultura Chairperson Ernesto Ordoñez, PCAF Climate Change Committee Chairperson Atty. Monsod and Alicia Ilaga of DASW-CCO (inset) lead the meeting on post-‘Yolanda’ efforts.

Private sector groups strongly reiterated the need to integrate climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in the government’s recovery and rehabilitation plan for Visayan communities destroyed by super typhoon Yolanda.

This was during the special meeting of the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) Committee on Climate Change (CCC) last December 4, 2013 at the PCAF Apacible Conference Room.

The meeting was held primarily to generate inputs and recommendations from private and government sector partners on the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) rehabilitation and reconstruction plan for Yolanda-hit farming and fishing areas in Visayas.

Field Operations Service Dir. Renato Manantan, who is also the assigned national coordinator for the Yolanda rehabilitation efforts under the Office of DA Undersecretary for Field Operations Dante Delima, presented to the committee the said DA recovery and rehabilitation plan.

DA Systems-Wide Climate Change Office (DASW-CCO) Technical Adviser Dr. Esteban Godilano also presented climate change mapping and recommendations for rehabilitating typhoon-hit agri-fishery localities.

The DASW-CCO recommendations include the creation of crop sustainability maps, making use of agricultural ecosystems and watershed as the planning domain, construction of storm surge dikes, fisherfolk settlement and, most importantly, the integration of other climate change hazards in the reconstruction.
Climate Change Committee Chairperson Atty. Christian Monsod stated that the maps Dr. Godilano presented will enable the government to have a fuller estimate of the damages brought by the super typhoon, help identify coastal areas vulnerable to storm surge, aid in the rehabilitation, relocation and housing plans for typhoon survivors, and show other possible hazards that these communities may face.

See also: http://nafc.da.gov.ph/NAFCNEWs/2013/yolanda.html

Climate Change Committee pushes for DA’s active participation in Visayas rehab efforts, commends Phl delegation in UNFCCC COP 19

Atty. Christian Monsod leads the 15th Quarterly Meeting of the PCAF Committee on Climate Change

The Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) Committee on Climate Change is set to craft a proposal outlining agricultural interventions that will contribute to the rehabilitation efforts for Yolanda-stricken communities in Visayas.

In its 15th Quarterly Meeting last December 2, representatives of the government and private agencies under the PCAF Committee on Climate Change, headed by Atty. Christian Monsod, have agreed to draft a plan that will address the agriculture damages brought by super typhoon Yolanda (international codename Haiyan).

A task force that will lead the Committee’s involvement and initiatives in aid of the rehabilitation efforts of Yolanda-hit communities was also formed and will be headed by Atty. Monsod. The task force will identify key interventions that will be included in the proposal to be submitted to the rehabilitation czar, former Senator Panfilo Lacson.

“This is an opportunity for us to incorporate the ideas of the public and private sectors on climate change adaptation into the rehabilitation plan,” Atty. Monsod said.

On December 4, the said task force met to discuss the preparation of the proposal. The group will look into the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) draft rehabilitation plan and proposed rehabilitation program of the Alyansa Agrikultura.

The said move comes after Alyansa Agrikultura Chairperson Ernesto Ordonez underscored the need for the DA’s and PCAF’s active involvement in the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the areas ravaged by super typhoon Yolanda.

Echoing his November 29 Philippine Daily Inquirer article, Ordoñez stressed that the institutionalized participatory mechanism between the public and private sectors under the PCAF should be harnessed and be able to lead the participation of agriculture stakeholders in the government’s rehabilitation plan.

Around 50 individuals present during the meeting also expressed collective commendation to the Philippine contingent led by Climate Change Commission's Commissioner Naderev Saño at the 19th Conference of Parties (COP 19) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) in Warsaw, Poland.

Saño was also at the meeting to report the agreements reached and commitments made during the said convention held last November 11-23.

Serving as lead negotiator of the Philippine delegation, Saño’s emotional appeal for world leaders to act on climate change with a greater sense of urgency opened the COP 19 of the UNFCCC.

Saño, a native of Yolanda-hit Tacloban, Leyte, also went on a voluntary fasting during the two-week conference as the delegation sought for concrete pledges for the mobilization of resources for the Green Climate Fund, for the operationalization of a loss-and-damage mechanism, and for an increase in targets on greenhouse gas emissions from developed countries.

“We fought hard to get this international mechanism on loss and damage. We were able to negotiate this. Now, we have an established mechanism. This is actually a landmark decision because, for the longest time, rich countries do not acknowledge the possibility of being able to assess losses and damages because of climate change,” Saño said.

Coming from his two-week trip in Warsaw, Poland, Climate Change Commissioner Naderev Saño
reports on the outcome of the talks during the UN Climate Change Conference last November.

“This mechanism allows us to access important expertise and knowledge on assessing losses and damages from climate impacts, provides us the potential to access resources and technology whenever we incur losses and damages and to allow us to recover from losses and damages,” he explained at the committee meeting.

He also stressed that while there is no established scientific link between a single weather event like supertyphoon Yolanda and climate change, he said it should not change the fact that all organizations and individuals, both from the government and private sectors, can still contribute in reducing disaster risks.

“The primary principle in the climate change convention tells us that we should not wait for full scientific certainty to take action. And the endeavor to craft an international policy on climate change and to reduce risks of disasters at the local and barangay levels are not mutually exclusive. Even if we continue to closely link “Yolanda” with climate change, I don’t thank it will distract us. I think it is even more important because we will take the same approaches in reducing risks from disasters,” he said.

Meanwhile, the committee also adopted a resolution requesting DA Secretary Proceso Alcala to convene the National Agriculture and Fisheries Council (NAF Council) and its Budget Committee to lay down short-term and long-term plans on climate change mitigation and tackle areas of participation of the private sector in the Department’s reconstruction plans.

Officials from the Bureau of Soils and Water Management also presented the Agromet cum Climate Change Project System Plan to the committee.

The committee also tackled updates on the preparation of the Integrated Map System, which is spearheaded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Mines and Geosciences Bureau, National Mapping and Resource Information Authority and Mining Industry Coordinating Council, and the Climate Change Vulnerability Mapping in Agriculture Project, which is led by the National Irrigation Administration.

The DA Systems-Wide Climate Change Office also presented the results of the APEC Seminar Workshop on Adaptation and Mitigation Initiative in Agriculture, while Isagani Serrano of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement discussed his reaction paper on the New Rural Development Strategy of the World Bank.

See also: http://nafc.da.gov.ph/NAFCNEWs/2013/ccc.html