DILIMAN, Quezon City—Marking his first anniversary in office, Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William Dar addressed the nation with his State of the Philippine Agriculture Report.

Dar emphasized the plans and strategies on the implementation of different programs for the sector. These include modernization which aims for the utilization and promotion of new and appropriate technologies in farming and fisheries.

DILIMAN, Quezon City—The Task Group on Food Security of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) held a virtual presser where Department of Agriculture (DA) Assistant Secretary Noel Reyes and Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) Assistant Director Rosana Mula gave updates on the training and extension services under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).

As the training arm of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Agricultural Training Institute-Regional Training Centers (ATI-RTCs), in coordination with partner agencies, continue to rollout activities while observing safety measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are happy to announce that the RCEF program components remain in full swing, despite the restrictions brought about by the community quarantine. Now, more than ever, our farmers need RCEF and similar support to help them bounce back,” Agriculture Secretary Dar said.

Implementing agencies of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF-RESP) convened for a convergence workshop to discuss plans of activities for the new normal.

The workshop served as an avenue for each agency to share updates on the conducted RCEF-RESP activities in the past months and how they dealt with the restraints of the lockdown measures. It also presented an opportunity to synchronize RESP approaches and activities for a more efficient implementation in the field.

Over 6,500 farmers and agricultural extension workers (AEWs) were briefed on the services under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) through a series of information caravans nationwide.

This was led by the Agricultural Training Institute’s (ATI) network of training centers, in close coordination with the regional field offices of the Department of Agriculture and the concerned local government units.

Different Learning Sites for Agriculture (LSAs) supported by the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) are set to promote their products and services during AgriLink/FoodLink/AquaLink 2019.

The three-day event bears the theme “Climate Resilient Agriculture: A Must for Region 8.” It aims to provide an avenue to showcase products, information, technologies, market linkages, and promotions to the whole agribusiness community and the general public.