Agriculture Secretary William Dar and Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) Chair Arsenio Balisacan signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Department of Agriculture and PCC to protect local agriculture and food on October 1, 2019.

Under the agreement, the two parties will closely coordinate and collaborate to protect both the Filipino farmer and consumer against smuggling of agricultural products and other illegal trade practices. This will be in the forms of information exchange, investigation and enforcement, and pushing for action plans through shared resources to limit and put a stop to anti-competitive practices.

The agreement, according to Secretary Dar, is vital in the implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law, which was signed on February 14, this year.

The MOA solidifies the partnership of the two agencies, and will contribute to the goal of the government towards inclusive development, reduce poverty to low levels, and sustain growth at 7-8 percent.

“Policy and management of food systems are very influential in shifting poverty and economy,” Balisacan said.

Secretary Dar is positive that the DA and PCC working together will make the Philippine rice sector more productive and competitive and rice farmers more prosperous. ### (Adora Rodriguez, AFID)