Yap to keynote Asian biotech workshop

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap will keynote the opening program of an Asian workshop on biotechnology to be held Dec. 4-7 at the Hotel Intercon in Makati City.

Other speakers at the workshop’s opening ceremony are Dr. Randy Hautea, global coordinator of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA); Jude Akhidenor, agriculture attaché, Office of Agricultural Affairs, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); and Andrew Rude, USDA biotechnology group/foreign agricultural service.

The workshop is organized by ISAAA, the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization-Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEAMEO SEARCA), and Asian Farmers Regional Network (ASFARNET). It is supported by the United States government under the auspices of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

ASFARNET is a regional farmers’ network organized by participants in the "Farmer-to-Farmer Workshop on Sharing Experiences Related to Agricultural Biotechnology" held also in Makati City in December 2003.

Sonny Tababa, SEARCA BIC network administrator, said the participants will also visit various biotech facilities in Luzon. — Rudy A. Fernandez