Around 400 guests are expected to take part as the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) holds its 9th National Agriculture and Fisheries Volunteers’ Day (NVD) on December 12, 2023 at the Midas Tent in Midas Hotel, Pasay City.

The NVD is an annual event organized by the PCAF to honor its volunteer-partners. The celebration aims to acknowledge their valuable contributions in helping the Department of Agriculture modernize the sector’s value chain and uplift the lives of Filipino farmers, fishers, and their communities.

With the theme “Solidarity through Agricultural and Fishery Volunteerism,” this year’s NVD highlights the celebration of hard work and dedication of the Department of Agriculture’s private sector development partners in pursuit of participatory development in the agri and fishery sector.

DA officials led by Secretary Francisco “Kiko” P. Tiu Laurel Jr. will be gracing the event.

During the NVD, the agency celebrates the outstanding achievements of its nationwide network of consultative bodies—National Sectoral Committees (NSCs) and the Agricultural and Fishery Councils (AFCs).

The NSCs are the consultative mechanisms for mainstreaming private sector participation and involvement in the priority thrusts and directions of the DA. They ensure multi-stakeholder consultations and provide feedback in the implementation of DA banner and other priority programs.

Meanwhile, the AFCs serve as the consultative, integrative, coordinative, and monitoring bodies for regional and local agriculture and fishery commodity value chain initiatives. They act as advisory bodies of the DA Regional Field Offices and local government units to ensure the success of agriculture and fishery programs, especially enterprise development initiatives towards higher productivity and increased income.

PCAF serves as the consultation arm of the DA on agri-fishery related issues. The agency links key industry players and government agencies through policy services by conducting industry consultations and identifying policy and program recommendations to address issues confronting the agri-fishery sector.