MANILA, Philippines - Dr. Andreas Kalk, resident director of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Regional Office for Philippines and the Pacific, (second from left) exchanges signed documents with Department of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala (third from right) during the signing of Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) for the Abaca Sustainability Initiative and the Better Rice Initiative Asia-Fostering Agriculture and Rice Marketing by Improved Education and Rural Advisory Services (BRIA-FARMERS) Project. Max Johannes Baumann, program director of GIZ’s Environment and Rural Development Program (left), Eduardo Holoyohoy, OIC executive director of the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority and Renato Dela Cruz, OIC deputy director of the Agricultural Training Institute witness the MOA signing. The P19-million Abaca Sustainability Initiative will be implemented from 2015 to 2016 in target municipalities in Aklan and Iloilo. On the other hand, the P 90-million BRIA-FARMERS Project will be implemented from 2015 to 2017 in target municipalities in Aurora, Iloilo and Southern Leyte. The DA looks forward to scaling up the twin agri projects in other parts of the country. The GIZ or the German Development Cooperation is a federal enterprise that supports the German government in the field of international development cooperation.