The Bureau of Plant and Industry (BPI) on Wednesday unveiled a program that will help farmers improve the quality of their produce in its bid to increase their chances of penetrating the export market.
The BPI, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA), said it sought the assistance of the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) to craft the Strategic Map 2017-2022.
“We intend to commit that this becomes the bible [of the BPI] for the next six years,” BPI OIC-Director Vivencio R. Mamaril said in his speech during the celebration of the 87th anniversary of the agency in Manila.
The key points of the six-year strategic map are:
- ensure access of farmers to quality seeds;
- ensure compliance to food safety and phytosanitary (sps) equirements of agricultural crops;
- enhance promotions of opportunities in agriculture;
- strengthen plant regulatory, laboratory and pest-management services;
- generate new and relevant agricultural technologies;
- upgrade infrastructure and support facilities;
- enhance human-resource capability;
- integrate information management;
- ensure financial management; and
- increase external fund resources.
Mamaril said one of the key programs that the BPI would implement this year is the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) program, which aims to ensure a “high level” of food safety in every stage of food production.
The Food Safety Act of 2013 defines GAP as practices that address environmental, economic and social sustainability for farm processes, and which result in safe and quality food and nonfood agricultural products.
Exporters are encouraged to observe good agricultural practices to make their products more acceptable to importing countries that have stringent requirements such as the European Union.
Mamaril said it took the BPI and DAP nine months to craft the agency’s strategic map.
DAP President Antonio D. Kalaw Jr., said the BPI’s Strategic Map 2017-2022 is already aligned with the results-based performance management system of the
government.