Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service Deputy Director Junibert De Sagun answers inquiries from one of the AFC Congress participants.

More than 150 delegates joined the Luzon-wide Agricultural and Fishery Council (AFC) Congress held in General Trias, Cavite, on September 5 to 7, 2022.

The Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF), in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office CALABARZON, gathered the regional and provincial AFC Chairpersons, RAFC Executive Officers, Coordinators, and Regional Sectoral Committee Chairpersons from Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, and Bicol.

The three-day event with the theme, “Agricultural and Fishery Councils: Strengthening Adaptability, Food Security, and Economic Stability,” provided a venue to address issues common to all regions and discuss the DA’s policy directions and initiatives.

“Our country’s agri-fishery sector has continued to thrive and adapt, thanks to the ever-responsive and future-ready policy resolutions and recommendations of our AFCs,” said PCAF OIC-Executive Director Julieta E. Opulencia.

Resolutions crafted by the AFCs centered on upscaling the National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Program, using digital marketing platforms for agricultural products, and rebuilding efforts after the African Swine Fever. These topics are part of the Department’s goal to increase food production and improve food accessibility.

PCAF, the policy-making arm of DA, will organize the Visayas and Mindanao Congresses in October and November 2022, respectively. | MTQ