Agriculture Secretary William Dar expressed his appreciation to the government of the United States (US) for allowing the shipment of young coconuts to the US, stressing that the Department of Agriculture (DA) is set on establishing more market opportunities for Filipino coconut farmers.

On September 27, 2019, Dar met with US Undersecretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney and US Agriculture Counselor Morgan Haas in Malate, Manila.

During the meeting, the Philippine agri chief also discussed other trade relations particularly for okra and pineapples to enter all ports in the US.

“Of course, we will strongly implement global trade standard. We would like to deliver all the best of technology, where they (farmers) can transform their life,” Dar said.

The Secretary expressed his strong belief on precision agriculture and the importance of biotechnology to support DA’s goal of modernizing Philippine agriculture.

During the meeting, McKinney and Haas mentioned that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is set to launch the “Food for Progress” program to help in developing the country to expand free enterprise in the agricultural sector.

In the Philippines, the USDA program aims to strengthen Filipino farmers’ capabilities and technological knowledge particularly on the production of coffee, cacao, and coconut. ### (Kristel Merle, DA-AFID)