Unified economy to push agri sector to meet global standards

CEBU, Philippines - The 2015 ASEAN Economic Integration's goal of free flow of goods should push the country's agricultural and food processing sectors to improve product quality to meet the standards of the international market, a Department of Agriculture official said.

While most Filipino buyers are not really keen on standards, farmers and producers still must adhere  to have certification standards if they want to sell their products to established markets or export these to neighboring countries, said DA chief for International Relations Division Noel de Luna.

De Luna said the fee for the certification may be an additional cost for farmers, but the government can actually help them to acquire it by following certain requirements.

"Well, a small grower can do this--follow standards--if he is part of a cooperative," the chief said during the ASEAN Economic Integration forum for food and agriculture. "Medyo mahal kasi ang certification."

But small growers consider some reasons why they opt not to be certified, said Chato Cadorna, the agri coordinator of AFOS Foundation's OURFood program.

The reasons, she cited, include the need to list their activities in the farm, apply good agricultural practices and minimize chemical use, limited capital to finance production and build toilet and storage house in the area.

Efficiency

For his part, DA-7 chief for agribusiness division Gerry Avila said he is convinced the Philippines, particularly the Central Visayas has a lot of resources though the farmers really need quality materials to improve their production.

He said the adoption of good agricultural practices is crucial to the quality of products: "Improve efficiency to increase production. We will train them."

The ASEAN has established the good agricultural practices for fresh fruits and vegetables in 2006; in 2012 , it has established in 775 matched maximum residue limits for61 pesticides; the group also adopted 29 standards for horticultural and food crops, 49 for animal vaccines; and it has suggested measures for recognizing livestock firms and products.

Its members include Brunei, Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam

 De Luna also cited the regional organization is strengthening its modified food testing network, making rules on good management ways for shrimp, code of conduct for responsible fishing and executing the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point in fish production.

Moreover, the ASEAN also created in 2004 the Food Safety Network where its officials can talk about food safety information.

He also said that laboratories that check product quality and safety in the Philippines are "very poor" unlike in other countries where testing procedures are very sophisticated.

"So, how do we check that the products being imported or exported are safe?" he asked. "Then, we need good laboratories capable of checking these products."

He added small farmers should be connected with large companies or cooperatives to make their products more competitive.

ASEAN opportunities

The end goal of the AEC is to create a single market where there is free flow of goods and services which means good opportunities for the Philippines and other member countries.

ASEAN has a population of 600 million, 150 million of which belong to the middle class which has a very strong purchasing power.