Key PhilGAP implementers unite their Strategies and Interventions
Many local farmers find being certified as Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) difficult to attain.
GAP are differing sets of codes, standards and regulations jointly developed by governments, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and the private sector to improve the sustainability of agriculture.
The pursuit of GAP seeks to ensure food safety and assuring food quality as well as keeping high regard for environmental protection and improving workers’ health, safety, and welfare.
Farmers and other producers or suppliers along the food chain are encouraged to adopt GAP regulations covering crop irrigation water, manure and municipal bio solids, worker health and hygiene, field and forest sanitation, postharvest water during packing, transportation, and storage and distribution, among others.
In the Philippines, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is the responsible agency that grants, maintains and withdraws GAP certificates to individual growers or farms or to their produce marketing organizations.
It is specifically administered by the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Products Standards (BAFPS as chair and co-chaired by the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI). The members include the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA); Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM); Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI); High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP); Representative, Private Sector; Representative, NGO/PO; Representative, Academe; and others.
To encourage more farmers to adopt GAP and become certified as practitioners, main PhilGAP promoters have joined hands in reviewing and assessing their interventions to come up with a unified and complementary strategic approach that would help and encourage their farmer-clientele to become GAP certified practitioners.
According to Ms. Joan Bacbac, HVCDP regional focal person, the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) is the first region that organized its Regional GAP Team. Because of this, the CAR guidelines & protocols were prepared and approved. Last year a total of 1,285 farmers were already trained on GAP with Package of Technology under the DA CAR HVCDP aside from those funded by the LGU’s.
GAP certification is seen as a ticket to the ASEAN market, following the region’s integration where trading of vegetables and other produce among ASEAN countries is free, yet only a few farmers are applying for GAP certification, lamented Bacbac.
In spite of that reality, she explained that “we should continue doing our mandate, to conduct trainings and boost information dissemination on GAP."
Assistant Director Myrna Sta. Maria of ATI-CAR supported Ms. Bacbac’s proposition saying farmers must organize into cooperatives to compete in the emerging globalized markets. She added that all partners and participants in the agricultural industries of the country must also converge their efforts to resolve problems relative to product competitiveness and advance local products in the markets.
While GAP certification brings benefits to farmers, the costs associated with becoming GAP certified can discourage potential applicants, especially small farmers in third world countries.
For instance, growers who adopt GAP and other food safety practices do not receive higher prices for their products but may face higher production costs due to the costs of adopting GAP.
There are actually more problems and concerns that local PhilGAP implementers and promoters face but coming together to unite and advance best practices in promoting in the area is commendable, according to the participants.
The meeting was attended by representative from ATI-CAR, DA-RFO- CAR HVCDP, BSU, BAPTC and the assigned HVCDP focal persons and report officers from different provinces and municipalities of CAR last January 30-31, 2018 in ATI-CAR, La Trinidad, Benguet.
Each representatives presented the highlights of GAP interventions they conducted to farmer-clientele. Issues and concerns on the conduct of GAP interventions were aired, discussed and addressed.//
