New publication to be launched

Nelia T. Gonzalez, former assistant secretary of the Department of Agriculture and a pioneer in the agribusiness sector will inaugurate the Women in Development Series, a new publication of the SEAMEO Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) that focuses on the lives of women who have made their mark in development work.

Her biography "Nelia T. Gonzalez: The Woman, Her Life, Her Legacy" will be launched on Sept. 25 at 5 p.m., Discovery Suites, ADB Ave., Ortigas Center.

SEARCA officials said they chose Gonzalez’s biography because her story is a stirring account of how women can "successfully draw on their potentials to overcome odds and reach enviable positions and pull off notable feats as a first step towards empowerment. Her story can encourage and inspire other women."

Gonzalez is regarded as the foremost woman agribusiness entrepreneur in the Philippines. She is the first ever to hold top posts in a sector traditionally regarded as a man’s turf. She was former assistant secretary of the Department of Agriculture and president of the Chamber of Agribusiness of the Philippines, Inc. She also served as president of the Philippine branch of the World Poultry Science Association and board member of the ASEAN Cooperative Organization.

For 25 years, Mrs. Gonzales was director and business manager of Better Poultry, Inc. and publisher of Better Poultry and Livestock, the country’s foremost journal on poultry. She was also the first woman member of the UP Los Baños Alumnae Association. She is also the president of Asiaworld Properties Philippine Corp.

Nelia Gonzalez also introduced the concept of contract growing in the animal feed industry, which was readily adopted by large agribusiness concerns in the country. Her company Philippine Hi-Bred, Inc. pioneered in the commercial production of hybrid seeds of corn and sorghum, swine and livestock technology.