The Department of Agriculture (DA) steps up efforts to boost the Philippine agribusiness sector by promoting agricultural cooperation, trade, and investments to help jumpstart the country’s economy, amid the Covid-19 pandemic and onto the “new normal.”
Agriculture Secretary William Dar forged a memorandum of understanding with the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC) President Alex Feldman to institutionalize the partnership and strengthen agricultural cooperation on September 3, 2020, via teleconference.
The agreement pushes for cooperation in the areas of livestock production and animal health, agricultural trading and investment, plant science, agricultural technology and digital agriculture, food safety, and inclusive business and sustainability.
“I look forward to a successful implementation of partnership projects between the DA and USABC, particularly in building a more resilient food system for improved livelihoods, nutrition, and health as we recover from Covid-19. I hope we can also accelerate digital transformation to help generate new revenue streams and improve the livelihoods of rural communities,” the DA chief said.
During the teleconference, he shared with the USABC officers and members of the DA’s recovery plan for the food and agriculture sector towards the ‘new normal’ era, including initiatives in attracting investments in agriculture, fisheries, postharvest facilities, and food logistics, among other agribusiness ventures.
“There is a great opportunity to grow Philippine agribusiness more, not only at this time of the pandemic, but continuously over the longer term. We need a strong agribusiness sector to achieve inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, and keep our people food secure. We need to invest in an agribusiness sector that is resilient, modern, and well-integrated with the rest of the local and global economy,” he said.
The US-ASEAN Business Council is a premier advocacy organization for U.S. corporations, serving as the leading voice of the American private sector in promoting mutually beneficial trade and investment relationships between the United States and Southeast Asia. ### (Rita dela Cruz, DA StratComms)
