NAFC welcomes back batch ’12 trainees
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| The 13 graduates of last year’s batch of the Young Filipino Farmers Training Program in Japan in a group photo with NAFC officials led by Exec. Dir. Ariel Cayanan. |
As the country aims to achieve rice self-sufficiency this year, the National Agricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC) has enlisted 14 young farmers from all over the country with knowledge and skills on rice production and rice farming to participate in the Young Filipino Farmers Training Program in Japan (YFFTPJ) this year.
In line with this, the Department of Agriculture (DA) National Rice Program, through the commitment of National Rice Program Coordinator and DA Assistant Secretary Dante Delima, will be shouldering each trainee’s counterpart fund of P15,000 and their round trip airfare from Manila to Japan.
Prior to the 11-month training with Japanese farmer hosts under the ASEAN Young Farm Leaders Training, the trainees will undergo a 75-day pre-departure orientation course, which started on February 26.
The said training course will equip them with technical knowledge and skills in agricultural and cooperative management and a chance to imbibe Japanese work values and attitude.
On May 11, trainees who passed the pre-departure orientation course will be heading to Japan for the 11-month training proper.
Before the pre-departure course, participants of the program underwent a Homestay Module with YFFTPJ graduates in their respective regions from January 27 to February 20. The module focused on farm activities, visits to other farms and agricultural institutions, conversational Nihongo and physical fitness.
Meanwhile, NAFC officials welcomed the 2012 batch of YFFTPJ participants back in the country last February 28.
On March 1, the 13 graduates made a courtesy call to NAFC Executive Director Ariel Cayanan and shared their experiences during their training with their Japanese hosts.
“They (Japanese host family) took really good care of me while I was staying with them. They were very hospitable and accommodating to my needs. It’s an experience I will never forget,” batch president Jomer Buenavista shared.
Aside from the technical knowledge they gained from their Japanese mentors, the graduates also learned a lot from the good values and work ethics of the Japanese farmers.
In his message, Dir. Cayanan congratulated the graduates on the success of their trainings and wished them well on pursuing whatever venture they will choose.
“They (Japanese hosts) have placed a great deal of trust and confidence in you and I know you’ve worked hard not to break that trust and confidence. With all the hard work you gave, you have indeed set another yardstick, another standard for the program. The real challenge now is how you’ll apply everything you’ve learned as you pursue your chosen enterprise,” he told the graduates.
YFFTPJ is implemented by NAFC, in collaboration with the Japan Agricultural Exchange Council and the Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
As of 2012, a total of 362 young farmers have participated in the program.
The program has produced farmer-leader extensionists, cooperators, provincial or national Gawad Saka Awardees for Outstanding Young Farmers, resource persons in the field of their specialization, agri-business entrepreneurs, and local chief executives such as barangay captains, barangay councilors, and members of the Sangguniang Bayan in the Committee of Agriculture in local government units.
Some have also been employed in the local government offices who take care of the agricultural research activities of the municipality in partnership with the municipal agriculturists and agriculture technicians.
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