After presenting the strategic plans of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to the members of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham Philippines), Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. invited the private sector to join forces with the government and invest in agriculture.
“The aim now of the DA, and of course I’m inviting the private sector, is really we have to invest in our agriculture moving forward in order to achieve our goal of food security,” he said during the State and Vision of Agriculture 2024 event organized by AmCham Philippines on April 17, 2024.
Coming from the business sector, Secretary Tiu Laurel believes that food security is achievable with sufficient investments for the agriculture and fisheries sector.
“Enhancing collaboration between the government and the private sector is vital in achieving our goal of food security. To this end, I have actively engaged with Philippine government officials, investors, industry experts, farmers, fishermen, and other stakeholders to build support for our initiatives,” the agri chief said.
He also stressed that the DA continues to redouble its efforts in improving the country’s agricultural production, modernizing the sector, and ensuring that prices of agricultural commodities remain affordable.
The identified strategies include mechanization, enhancing post-harvest systems and infrastructure, and developing efficient logistics for input and output production.
During the event, key stakeholders and industry leaders also shared their concerns and recommendations for Secretary Tiu Laurel and the DA such as establishing an agricultural statistics office, digitalization, forecasting of real time data, addressing plant and animal pests and diseases, and increasing exports, among others.
“I am hopeful that today’s event will serve as a means to further strengthen the collaboration between the government and the private sector. I believe that the American Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines shares a common vision with the DA for the sector,” the agri chief said. ### (Gumamela Celes Bejarin, DA-AFID)
