BAR participates in Agri-Tech Negosyo Forum and Exhibit

30 September 2008
Christmas B. de Guzman

The Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) participated in Agri-Tech Negosyo Forum and Exhibit, an activity hosted by the Fulbright Philippine Agriculture Alumni Association (FPAAA) that intends to disseminate information on local technologies (products, services, etc.) and link potential investors or entrepreneurs on agriculture-related businesses.

The FPAAA is composed of returned Fulbright scholars under the Fulbright-Philippine Agriculture Scholarship Program (FPASP) of the Philippine-American Educational Foundation (PAEF).

Aside from BAR, Agri-Tech Negosyo Forum and Exhibit was also supported and participated in by other R&D institutions such as the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), University of the Philippines Los Baños-Institute of Plant Breeding (UPLB-IPB), UPLB-College of Agriculture (UPLB-CA), UPLB-National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH), Department of Science and Technology- Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCASTRD), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the private sector such as the East-West Seed Group and UniVet.

The opening of the exhibits officially kicked off with the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Guests were BSWM Asst. Dir. Wilfredo E. Cabezon, PAEF Executive Director Esmeralda S. Cunanan, and FPAAA President Mario G. Andrada. The majority of the participants came from the DOLE-Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (DOLE-OWWA). The group was represented by Dr. Alicia P. Santos, manager of DOLE-National Reintegration Center for OFWs (DOLE-NRCO).

Dr. Eugene P. Mende, FPAAA Board of Directors (BOD) member, and Dr. Marissa V. Romero, FPAAA secretary, served as the masters of ceremony.

FPAAA Pres. Andrada, who welcomed the participants in his opening speech, said that the objectives of the activity were: 1) disseminate information about commercializable agricultural technologies and the business opportunities that these technologies present; 2) generate interest in agricultural technologies among OFWs, hobbyists and other individuals, and to provide them with information and assistance related to these technologies; 3) serve as a venue for networking and business/market linkage among technology developers/disseminators, potential financiers, and current and would-be entrepreneurs; and 4) encourage the establishment of technology-based business start-ups among OFWs, hobbyists, and other individuals.

The event was capped by plenary sessions in the afternoon. Mr. Zac B. Zarian, columnist-journalist of the Manila Bulletin, talked about "Opportunities in Different Agri-Tech based Industries - Facts & Figures." Dr. Ida F. Dalmacio of BIOTECH-UPLB discussed "Biotechnological Interventions for Agricultural Development and Opportunities." While Dr. Amihan M. Lubag-Arquiza, FPASP '02, Crop Science Cluster, UPLB-CA, lectured on "Better Living and Nation Building through Horticulture, Entrepreneurship and Agri-Technology."

Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap, the guest of honor, emphasized the importance of good packaging and marketing program when it comes to agribusiness.

He also explained President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's FIELDS (Fertilizer, Irrigation and other rural infrastructure, Extension, training and farmers' education, Loans, Dryers and other postharvest facilities and Seeds) Program being implemented by the Department of Agriculture, which aims to increase and stabilize the supply of rice in the country, as well as to deliver targeted subsidies to the poor who are most directly affected by the global price increases.

"Basic agriculture is a necessity to mankind, that's why the government is investing billions of pesos in ensuring along sustainable agriculture its basic national agriculture program," he stressed.

Secretary Yap also visited the exhibits at the BAR booth, which included in-house publications, books, journals, and brochures from BAR and its partner-agencies