More than 500 participants from the local government units, the academe, and private sector organizations joined the Department of Agriculture (DA) and its attached bureaus and agencies during the 2019 National Food Security Summit on October 29-30, 2019.

With this year’s theme “Sama-sama tungo sa Masaganang Ani at Mataas na Kita,” the summit highlighted the new vision of the DA following the New Thinking in Philippine Agriculture introduced by Secretary William Dar.

DA Undersecretary for Operations Ariel Cayanan said that the summit “convened private stakeholders, state colleges and universities, and the provincial local government units to discuss the vision and goals of the department.”

He added that the event will “provide an avenue to forge new public and private partnership for the betterment of the agriculture industry.”

The two-day event served as a venue for discussions on the current challenges faced by the agriculture sector such as the effect of the Rice Trade Liberalization Law, the falling prices of copra, and African swine fever, among others.

Key officials and experts from the DA and other affiliated organizations also presented how their offices implement the programs and projects that are needed to address the said issues and concerns.

Senate Chair for Agriculture Cynthia Villar and her counterpart at the House of Representatives, Congressman Wilfrido Mark Enverga, graced the opening ceremony of the summit with their messages of support to the programs of the DA.

In addition, the League of Provinces of the Philippines led by Governor Presbitero Velasco, Jr. expressed its commitment to be an active partner of the DA in attaining a food-secure Philippines with prosperous farmers and fisherfolk. ### (Gumamela Celes Bejarin, DA-AFID)