The United States Department of Agriculture has launched a new “Food for Progress” project focused on strengthening sanitary and phytosanitary regulatory systems in the Philippines.
In a ceremony last Friday (Sept. 27), visiting US Undersecretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney met with Philippine Undersecretary of Agriculture Rodolfo Vicerra and Undersecretary of Health Rolando Enrique Domingo to discuss the four-year project, which will be funded with the proceeds of donated U.S. agricultural commodities sold in the Philippine market.
Food for Progress is a USDA program that partners with developing countries and emerging democracies committed to introducing and expanding free enterprise in the agricultural sector.
USDA has selected Winrock International through a competitive award process to implement the project with an estimated $8.5-million operating budget. The project will pursue activities to strengthen Philippine regulatory agencies’ SPS systems through the adoption of risk-based and international standards to facilitate agricultural trade, the statement released by the US Embassy in Manila said.
The most recent Food for Progress project in the Philippines used US soybean meal as the donated commodity, it added.
McKinney explained that the project aims to boost the Philippines’ food security by giving consumers and agricultural traders access to safe and affordable foods.
“This project aims to strengthen Philippine food security by delivering their consumers and agribusiness access to safe, affordable, and nutritious foods and feedstuffs through an improved regulatory framework based on risk-based principles and streamlined processes that ultimately enhance livelihoods while increasing opportunities for US-Philippine trade,” the US official said.
For his part, Vicerra said the Department of Agriculture welcomes this opportunity to enhance the capacity of its regulatory agencies in ensuring that food safety, sanitary and phytosanitary concerns are addressed alongside the flow of trade.
“I am optimistic that the collaboration brought about by this project will strengthen the regulatory function capacity of the Philippines Food and Drug Administration. This will enable the agency to develop a risk-based regulatory system that will promote effective and efficient outcomes,” Vicerra added.
Meanwhile, the United States Agency for International Development is stepping up its support to the DA’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to push for sustainable management of the Philippine alimasag (blue swimming crab) harvested in the Visayan Sea.
The BFAR, USAID, the University of Rhode Island, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Philippine Association of Crab Processors, Inc., Saravia Blue Crab Inc., and Thai Union Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding to improve the ecological sustainability of alimasag harvesting to expand export potential, particularly to North American markets.
The Philippine alimasag industry has an export value of about P3.7 billion ($70 million), the majority of which is sold to the United States, and US demand for sustainable seafood continues to grow. The Blue Swimming Crab fishery in the Visayan Sea accounts for approximately 40 percent of the Philippines’ catch and provides employment to 8,000 Filipino fisherfolk.
At present, due to unsustainable and environmentally harmful overfishing practices, the alimasag from the Visayan Sea is rated “Red” (Avoid) by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program—an initiative that evaluates the sustainability of wild caught and farmed seafood commonly found in the US marketplace.
BFAR and its partners, with USAID support, will roll out a national management plan to achieve higher Seafood Watch ratings to further expand the Philippines’ export potential in the sustainable seafood market. The partnership will engage local governments, private sector stakeholders, and fisherfolk to implement science-based management, reduce overfishing, and protect the alimasag’s ecological habitats.
USAID Environment Office Director John Edgar lauded this joint initiative, saying “USAID is honored to support the Department of Agriculture’s vision to increase productivity and income in the fisheries sector.”
“As a friend, partner, and ally, the US.government stands with our long-time partners—BFAR, local governments in the West Visayan Sea, and Filipino fisherfolk—to protect the Philippines’ precious natural resources and support the people who depend on these resources for their livelihoods,” stated a separate statement from the US Embassy in Manila.